'MO POLITICAL NEWS

WALK THIS WAY:   The AP reports:  "Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker said he would issue his decision Thursday by noon on requests to impose a stay that would keep Proposition 8 in effect while its sponsors appeal his decision."

BUILDING BLOCKS:  The NYT reports:   "On Wednesday, Colonel Fehrenbach’s lawyers filed papers in Idaho federal court requesting a temporary order blocking his discharge. The petition contends that a discharge would violate Colonel Fehrenbach’s rights, cause him irreparable harm and fail to meet standards established in a 2008 federal court ruling on don’t ask, don’t tell...

...Lawyers for Colonel Fehrenbach assert that his case is among the most egregious applications of the policy in their experience. The Air Force investigation into his sexuality began with a complaint from a civilian that was eventually dismissed by the Idaho police and the local prosecutor as unfounded, according to court papers. Colonel Fehrenbach has never publicly said that he is gay. However, during an interview with an Idaho law enforcement official, he acknowledged having consensual sex with his accuser. Colonel Fehrenbach’s lawyers say he did not realize Air Force investigators were observing that interview; his admission led the Air Force to open its 'don’t ask' investigation."

51 VS. 49:  CNN reports:   "Forty-nine percent of respondents think gay and lesbian couples have the constitutional right to get married and have their marriage recognized by law, while 51 percent say those rights do not exist. The gap widens dramatically when age is taken into account. Nearly six in ten Americans under the age of 50 say gay rights are protected under the Constitution. Only 38 percent of Americans over the age of 50 say the same thing. 'This is one of the few instances when independents side with one party rather than falling in between the Dems and the GOP,' CNN Polling Director Keating Holland said. '56 percent of Democrats and 57 percent of Independents think the Constitution conveys the right to marry to same-sex couples. Only a quarter of all Republicans agree.' ...

...In a separate question, some respondents were asked whether the Constitution should (rather than does) give gays and lesbians the right to marry. 'That's different than asking respondents what they think is currently in the Constitution,' says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. In that separate question, 52% said that same-sex couples should have the constitutional right to marry; 46% say the Constitution should not convey that right."