Obama and Romney: Where they stand on gay marriage

On one aspect of whether same-sex couples should have the right to marry, both sides agree: The issue defines what kind of nation we are. Half a dozen states and the District of Columbia have made history by legalizing it, but it's prohibited elsewhere, and 30 states have placed bans in their constitutions.

President Barack Obama supports legal recognition of same-sex marriage, as a matter decided by states. He's also repudiated the Defense of Marriage Act, which denies federal recognition of same-sex marriages and affirms the right of states to refuse to recognize such marriages. The administration no longer defends the law in court, but it remains on the books. RepublicanMitt Romney says same-sex marriage should be banned with a constitutionalalone. Rich or poor, great or small, deep or shallow, he is the life of the party. He may put his mind on the woes of humanity, solve their problems, give his life for theirs in a figurative or literal sense. Or he may fritter away his time in pool halls. But he will always be where there are people, in the flesh or in theory.

His best expression comes when he has hitched his wagon to a star of social work or one of the social professions: invention, medicine, law, politics, architecture, literature, science, music or art with some social application. His worst expression is going places and doing things to no purpose. Some prime examples of wasted talents come in this sign – as well as some