Face in the News: Aiken, Perkins, Rogers, moms & more
CBS NEWS -- Clay Aiken, sounding like a "polished politician," according to Entertainment Weekly, defended same-sex marriage and talked about his home state's passage of Amendment One. Read about Aiken's stance on Amendment One from the Charlotte Observer. Aiken appeared somewhat confident that Amendment One will be overturned sooner rather than later. Queerty, a blog with a self-proclaimed "gay agenda," doesn't share Aiken's optimism, but elaborated on his comments.
Aiken appeared with Ted Olson, the conservative lawyer who's leading the charge against Proposition 8 in California. Olson argued that marriage - including same-sex marriage - is a conservative value. Olson and Patrick were on together at the top of the show to talk about the president's announcement. Both support same-sex marriage. The Massachusetts Governor praised the President's announcement, saying "It's about convictions; it's not about politics."
Later, Newsweek columnist Mark McKinnon backed up Patrick's statement, saying "I give the president great credit for voting his conscience, because when you net this all out, it's not a political winner." BusinessWeek quoted both of them when it looked at just how much the president's announcement might hurt him in swing states. Read more about Patrick's appearance from the Boston Herald.
Family Research Council President Tony Perkins insisted same-sex marriage didn't accord with natural law, and marriage wasn't a civil right. But he did criticize Republican Sen. Rand Paul's joke Friday that President Barack Obama's views on marriage "couldn't get any gayer." Perkins said this issue "isn't something we should joke about." The Los Angeles Times has more on why Perkins views the topic with such gravity. POLITICO also picked up his comments.
Perkins: Same-sex marriage debate gives Romney "missing piece of intensity"
Turning to a different topic, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Mich., discussed the terrorist bomb plot revealed last week by the White House. The Wall Street Journal takes an in-depth look at the plot and the information leak around it, and Roger's suggestion yesterday that "the administration was working against itself, with the CIA bidding to tamp down the information while the White House was preparing a news conference."
Rogers described the leak as "chest-thumping" by someone in the administration. POLITICO has more on that. The New York Times reports on the National Security Council's assurances that Rogers assertion was "absolutely false."
Rogers also insisted there will be a full investigation into the leak. Check out more on that from Bloomberg News and NewsMax.
GOP Rep: Bomb plot leak was "premature chest thumping"
We shifted topics again and turned to a panel of four mothers for their take on women and Campaign 2012 on Mother's Day. Conservative commentator Bay Buchanan said the "war on women" has come from the White House, and nowhere else. Former Obama White House communications director Anita Dunn disagreed. Dunn said GOP presumptive presidential nominee Mitt Romney of having a "backward-looking attitude, particularly when it comes to women." POLITICO has more on both of their comments.
How are moms being used in Campaign 2012?
And, in another nod to Mother's Day, Bob's commentary thanked moms for doing "the most important job of all."