So, Obama is extending ‘some’ federal benefits to gay partners, and as Pam Spaulding notes, it’s awfully meaningless and ill conceived.

First, as is noted in the New York Times, but buried in the last ‘graph, it’s not intended to be meaningful change:

But administration officials said the timing of the announcement was intended to help contain the growing furor among gay rights groups. Several gay donors withdrew their sponsorship of a Democratic National Committee fund-raising event next week, where Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. is scheduled to speak.

Further, it’s not even an executive order, but an administrative memorandum, so it expires when he leaves office.

It also does not cover health benefits, so what is left to cover? The only thing that comes to mind is relocation benefits.

And they are leaking the reasons to make clear that people don’t think that this is the start of a trend to support gay rights, it’s just a ploy to appease people before a fundraiser.

LBTG’s of America, welcome to under the bus, where supporters of government transparency, accountability for war crimes and torture for Bush and His Evil Minions^™, and meaningful reform of the financial system were thrown months ago.

It’s not particularly comfortable here, and now it’s getting very crowded.