ABC’s Jake Tapper: Former President Bill Clinton recently said that he’s basically in support of same-sex marriage. “I think it’s wrong,” he said, “for someone to stop someone else from getting involved in same-sex marriage.” Has President Obama heard these comments? Does he have a reaction? And why is Bill Clinton wrong about this issue?
White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs: Well, I’m not going to get into anybody’s opinion — I’m not going to criticize anybody’s opinion, least of all a former President of the United States, on something like this. I am not clear whether the President has seen that. I don’t know where that was from, so I don’t know if the President has seen it.
Tapper: But President Obama holds a different opinion?
Gibbs: President Obama holds the same opinion he has earlier today.
Tapper: Which is that same-sex marriage is wrong.
Gibbs: He does not support it. He supports civil unions.
Tapper: Why does he feel differently than President Bill Clinton?
Gibbs: Because they don’t agree on the issue. (Laughter.) I’ve not obviously spent a lot of —
Tapper: That’s not really an explanation of why he feels differently. That’s another word for it.
Gibbs: Well, I mean, I’m happy to — I mean, I think the President has answered this question a number of times. I can’t form a basis for why former President Clinton — I’ve obviously not had a conversation with him on this issue, so I don’t know what — it’s hard for me to compare some of this because I don’t have the basis by which he’s making that decision.
I’ve heard in town from more than one source that Gibbs is a big part of the problem. Reportedly, he isn’t comfortable at all with gay issues.