President Obama's announcement that he now supports same-sex
marriage has sparked a global discussion about the issue and
what his statements mean for politics and the upcoming election,
cultural views, the economy and public perception. There has
been a running dialogue as politicians, public figures and
others weigh in on the meaning of Obama's announcement. We'll
bring you all of that throughout the day with the latest strands
of this story. Let us know what you think about the announcement
by having your voice heard on iReport, and leave us your
comments below. We'll dig through them and pull out some of the
best comments from you as well. [Updated at 11:58 a.m. ET] Over
at Slate.com, an interesting piece by Linda Hirshman points out
"Why Obama is able to endorse gay marriage in a way a white
Democratic president couldn’t." The article takes a look at the
long history of presidents and figures who have made claims
about trying to help the gay community, but never got traction
or were told to shy away from