Gay Marriage: Just What McCain Needs?

John McCain might have had a stroke of luck with the recent California Supreme Court ruling that overturned a ban on gay marriage, pollster Peter Brown writes in the Wall Street Journal. A discussion on gay marriage could energize social conservatives and help to draw attention away from Iraq and the economy— issues on which many voters agree with the Democrats.

"The decision puts Sen. Obama's position on gay marriage in the spotlight and helps make the case that Sen. McCain wants to convey—that his opponent is just another Democratic liberal," Brown writes. Obama is also in favor of changing the rule that bans homosexuals from the armed forces—another issues that could make him look anti-military.