Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich has
taken another swipe at President Barack Obama's decision to no longer
defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
The Clinton-era law bans the federal
government from recognizing the legal marriages of gay and lesbian
couples. In announcing the decision, Attorney
General Eric Holder said that he and the president believe parts of
the law are unconstitutional.
The former House Speaker returned to
Iowa this week to address the Rediscovering God in America
conference.
In an interview with the American
Family Association's (AFA) Bryan Fischer, Gingrich once again
criticized Obama for his decision to no longer defend the law in
court.
“I think it's very bad judgment on
his part,” Gingrich told his host. “It tells you how selective
this administration is.”
“If there is a rule of law, then it
means that if the Congress passes a bill and the president signs it,
the president has an obligation to support and sustain the laws of
the United States. His oath of office says that he will sustain the
laws of the United States and he will faithfully execute them. So,
you can't faithfully execute something you refuse to defend.”
“Sometimes, by the way, you end up
defending things as president you don't actually like,” he added.
Gingrich also backed off from a
previous statement that the president's move was an impeachable
offense: “I was actually picking up on a conservative radio's
commentary … I don't think it's an impeachable offense.” (The
video from RightWingWatch.org
is embedded in the right panel of this page.)