TPM, 5:36 PM ET today
After the second presidential debate, Bay Buchanan, a top adviser to Mitt Romney, told reporters the GOP presidential candidate supports leaving the issue of gay marriage up to the states. Romney, she said, is a "strong advocate for the Tenth Amendment" and believes marriage is "a state issue." That constitutes a reversal from his earlier view that he would support an amendment to the constitution defining marriage as between one man and one woman.
TPM, 6:25 PM ET today
After telling reporters that Mitt Romney supports leaving the issue of marriage up to the states, adviser Bay Buchanan walked back her remarks, and reaffirmed that the GOP presidential nominee supports a constitutional ban on gay marriage.
"Governor Romney supports a federal marriage amendment to the Constitution that defines marriage as an institution between a man and a woman," Buchanan told BuzzFeed. "Governor Romney also believes, consistent with the 10th Amendment, that it should be left to states to decide whether to grant same-sex couples certain benefits, such as hospital visitation rights and the ability to adopt children. I referred to the Tenth Amendment only when speaking about these kinds of benefits – not marriage."
In other words, The Tenth Amendment is cool, except when it conflicts with my rabid right-wing followers' beliefs. But I still think we need a constitutional amendment, even though the Tenth Amendment doesn't apply to marriage, because marriage isn't one of the things the Tenth Amendment applies to. It's right there in Scalia and white. Of course it adds up. And it's the right height too.
5:09 PM PT: Americablog article on the flip-flop-flip de jure