In the first installment, we compared the answers on the question of abortion. Now let's do the whole marriage/gay marriage thing.

First Obama:

WARREN: There's alot more I'd loke to ask on that [referring to abortion] but we've got 15 other questions here. Define marriage.

OBAMA: I believe that marriage is a union between a man and a woman. Now for me, for me as a Christian, it's also a sacred union. God's in the mix. But...

WARREN: [interrupting] Would you support a constitutional amendment with that definition?

OBAMA: No, I would not.

WARREN: Why not?

OBAMA: Because historically, because historically we have not defined marriage in our consistution. It's been a matter of state law that has been our tradition. Let's break it down. The reason that people think there needs to be a constitutional amendment, some people believe, is because of the concern of same-sex marriage. I am not somebody who promotes same sex marriage, but I do believe in civil unions. I do believe that we should not -- that for, ah, gay partners who want to visit each other in the hsopital, for the state to you know what? That's alright. I don't think that in any way inhibits my core beliefs about what marriage is, are. I think my faith is strong enough and my marriage is strong enough that I can afford those civil rights to others even if I have a different perspective or a different view.

WARREN: Okay.

Now to McCain:

WARREN: Okay. We don't have to go longer on that one [referring to abortion]. Define marriage.

McCAIN: A union, a union berween man and woman, between one man and one woman, that's my definition of marriage. Are we going to get back to the importance of Supreme Court justices?

WARREN: We'll get to that.

McCAIN: Alright. Okay.

WARREN: You got all my questions, good.

McCAIN: When we speak of the issues of the right of the unborn we need to talk about judges, but anyway go ahead.

WARREN: Let me just ask you a questions related to that. We got a bill right here in California, proposition 8. that's going on because the court overturned the definition of marriage. Was this Supreme Court of California wrong?

McCAIN: I believe they were wrong and I strongly support preserving the unique status of marriage between a man and a woman. I am a federalist. I believe that state[s] should make those decisions. In my state, I hope we will make that decision and other states. We have to recognize the unique status of marriage between man and woman means -- that doesn't mean that people can't enter into legal agreements. That doesn't mean that they don't have the rights of all citizens. I'm not saying that. I am saying that we should preserve the unique status of marriage between one man and one woman and if a federal court, if a federal court decided that my state of Arizona had to observe what the state of Massachusetts decided, then I would favor a constitutional amendment. Until then I believe the state should make the decisions within their own states.

WARREN: Okay. Alright.

Two points: He got all of Warren's questions? When, dare I ask? No wonder McCain was so snappy and lucid.

Second, McCain is willing to overturn the will of the people of a state who decide that gay marriage should be legal in their state because he is a "federalist," but will use "states' rights" to advance the cause of overturning Roe v. Wade. McCain apparently does not understand the concept of reciprocity. Which is that certain agreements -- like legal contracts -- can be enforced in states other than where the contract was initiated. For example, if you are married in Arizona, you are also married in Massachusetts. If you got married in Miami, you can get divorced in Dallas, and re-hitched in Reno.

Perhaps Warren could have asked McCain to explain the "unique status" he was referring to. Or does adultery and divorce do more damage to marriage than gays? After all, don't half of all marriages end in divorce?