The Senate Judiciary Committee reported out the Federal Marriage Amendment to be voted on by the full Senate today. And there were a couple of odd things about it. First, they moved the hearings on it from the normal committee room to a small private room. Second, Senator Specter illustrated once again that he is in a non-custodial relationship with his testicles by saying that he was "totally against the Amendment" but voting for it anyway. Third, Senator Feingold stormed out of the meeting after a shouting match with Specter, who said "good riddance to bad rubbish" as he left.

This is an amendment to the US Constitution we're talking about here, not some motion to name a post office after some local notable. Why wouldn't they hold the hearings in public? Don't they want people to know what they're doing?

I like Jack Cafferty's take on it for CNN:

This is all being done by the republican majority in an effort to appeal to Right-wing nuts in the Republican Party ahead of the upcoming mid-term elections. Ignore all of the pressing issues facing the country, and instead go grovel at the feet of the lunatic fringe. Senator Frist should be very proud of himself. That's leadership. Here's the question: Is now the time for the Senate to consider a constitutional Amendment on gay marriage?

Indeed. One might quibble it will never be time for the Senate to consider a constitutional amendment on gay marriage, but if there is one, it certainly isn't now.