Gay activists not impressed with President Obama's latest rights overtures are calling it too little, too late.

Today, the president signed an executive order that extended several benefits to gay and lesbian spouses of federal employees.

“[It's] a matter of fairness,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

The order changes little; it offers federal employees sick leave to take care of a sick partner or a non-biological child, but partners remain blocked from access to primary health insurance and pensions. Obama did grant access to a government health insurance program that pays for long-term health conditions such as Alzheimer's disease.

But the move failed to placate gay activists hot over Obama's hesitation to deliver on promises made during the campaign.

Chief among the rabel rousers is David Mixner who started calling for a national march on Washington soon after the California Supreme Court upheld the constitutionally of a gay marriage ban in May.

“What that says is that we can have time off to be by our dying partner's side, but, by the way, our health insurance won't cover those hospital bills,” Mixner said on National Public Radio.

“It makes a mockery. It's an insult,” he added.

Also not impressed was gay blogger John Aravois who argued at Salon.com today that the president's order had more to do with keeping Democratic pockets lined with gay cash than fairness.

“[T]his was all hastily thrown together after the incestuous and pedophilic gays nearly brought down a Democratic National Committee gay pride fundraiser scheduled for next week,” Aravois said. “In other words, the only reason we're getting anything: The gay ATM ran dry.”

Aravois was referring to a June 25 DNC gay fundraiser featuring Vice President Joe Biden that began to unravel last week as gay activists and bloggers called for a boycott after news that Obama was defending the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the federal law that allows states to ignore legal gay marriages performed elsewhere and defines marriage as a heterosexual union for federal agencies. The administration defended the law in a brief against a gay couple who have sued the federal government, claiming the law is unconstitutional. Candidate Obama called the law “abhorrent,” and promised the gay and lesbian community he would repeal DOMA.

The DOMA brief appears to have been the last straw for many already reeling from a string of missteps by the Obama administration. Obama's pick of anti-gay pastor Rev. Rick Warren to give the nation's prayer at his inauguration ceremony drew heavy protest in December. More recently anger has simmered over inaction on repealing the military's ban on open gay service, “don't ask, don't tell,” and the convoluted, even contradictory, messages being offered on the issue by the Pentagon and White House.

John Berry, the highest ranking openly gay official in the administration, reiterated Sunday 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, who heads the Office of Personnel Management, 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.”

The president is not only being criticized by gay activists and bloggers. New York Congressman Jerrold Nadler issued a statement today calling the president's latest moves “disappointing.”

“Today's announcement, while a fine first step, falls dramatically short of what federal employees need, and, of course, does not at all provide the LGBT community the recognition and equal treatment under the law that they are long overdue.”

“Speaking personally, I have gay and lesbian staff members who are being denied these rights, even, in some cases, after decades of service to the federal government. They cannot, as my straight staff members and many LGBT employees of America’s top companies can, provide health care or retirement security to their partners. This is unconscionable,” Nadler said.

Mistrust among gays and lesbians who voted overwhelming (70%) for Obama is leading to a serious case of buyer's remorse and threatens to separate the faithful voting bloc from the Democratic Party.

“Many of us were willing to cut our new president some slack,” Arvosis said. “Not anymore.”