“The White House, like the Democrats, has far more to lose than to gain by getting tangled up in the debate [over gay marriage],” writes Elisabeth Bumiller in the Times (reg req’d). “But both sides are being forced into taking positions by the vocal edges of their parties.” She quotes a strategist for a leading Democratic presidential candidate, who says, “I think we can get people rights in this generation if we don’t take on a cultural, religious icon.”