One thing I have to wonder is whether Barack himself is not, when in the closet, a bit of a homophobe. Certainly, other things being equal, one would not expect the long-term member of the Reverend Wright's black nationalist church to have too instinctive a liking for homosexuals; black separatists are among the groups where homophobia in the strict sense and queer-bashing are most widespread. And his curious unwillingness to fix an injustice that much of his party feels very keenly, that is not important enough for opponents to make a fuss, and that was an indubitable part of his party's platform, really does suggest that he feels some inner shrinking.