Right. Is anybody as disturbed as I am to see a bureaucrat tossing aside the law by which he is supposed to be governed? If this is an acceptable attitude, what separates us from Haiti or Venezuela?
Answering your retorical question, Not a whole hell of a lot. This will benefit the Democrats in that they can paint Newsom as a "well intentioned loose cannon" but, at the same time decry the excesses of the religious right and Bush (if he gets involved). If Bush doesn't show leadership on this issue -- as he well may not -- he will lose a lot of votes. It seems like a win, win for the Democrats if the leadership doesn't press but is supportive of "Local initiative". You got to remember that Kerry, like Clinton, is a 60's activist.