The Obama administration responded Sunday to criticism of a Justice Department brief defending the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

In an interview with Kerry Eleveld, gay monthly The Advocate's Washington corresponded, posted on its website, John Berry, the highest ranking openly gay official in the Obama administration, responded to the LGBT community's growing frustration with the administration.

Gay rights advocates were outraged Friday on news the Obama administration was defending the 1996 law that allows states to ignore legal marriage performed in other states and defines marriage as a heterosexual union for federal agencies. Bloggers called the move a broken promise, and took exception to the brief's anti-gay tone.

Berry, who heads the Office of Personnel Management, reiterated that the president is committed to repeal of DOMA, but that the administration cannot cherry pick which laws to defend, and promised repeal “before the sun sets on this administration.”

“This president took a solemn oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States and he does not get to decide and choose which laws he enforces. He has to enforce the laws that have been enacted appropriately and that he has inherited.”

“[W]e want to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act,” Berry added. “Now, I'm not going to pledge – nor is the president – that this is going to be done by some certain date. The pledge and the promise is that this will be done before the sun sets on this administration.”

Berry also spoke of a broader gay and lesbian legislative agenda that includes passage of the Hate Crimes bill, repeal of “don't ask, don't tell” – the law that bans open gay military service – and ENDA, the gay employment protections bill.

But bloggers immediately pounced on the convolutions of Berry's remarks.

For instance, John Aravosis at AmericaBlog.com called Berry's insistence that the administration must defend DOMA a lie.

“That's a flat out lie,” Aravosis said. “The president can ask DOJ [Department of Justice] to oppose laws in cases where there are important political and social issues at stake. Period.”

Berry also contradicts himself when he first says the administration is hopeful the Hate Crimes bill currently before the Senate will pass this week, but later adds “We don't have the votes to do Hate Crimes right now.”

Aravosis seized on these points, concluding that the administration, at best, has pushed back the legislative gay trifecta of ENDA passage and repeal of “don't ask, don't tell” and DOMA into the president's second term.

“[T]he White House knows it has to do damage control,” Pam Spaulding said in a blog post at PamsHouseBlend.com, “something it has seemed to think it was above when it came to thumbing its nose at the LGBT community. You are being listened to. Probably still dismissed, but they know they have to do something. So far, just not the right thing.”