Barack Obama announced his personal support for same-sex marriage today, which makes the folks at Permission to Boogie very happy indeed.

Thanks, Barry. Now it’s time for you to push for a federal solution to what is decidedly not a states rights issue.

The reaction from opponents of same-sex marriage has been unsurprisingly swift. Let’s take a brief look at the socially conservative side of the dialogue.

This was Fox Nation’s original headline for the story. (They changed it real quick.)

(“The Fox Nation is for those opposed to intolerance, excessive government control of our lives, and attempts to monopolize opinion or suppress freedom of thought, expression, and worship.”)

From Brian Brown, the president of the National Organization for Marriage:

President Obama has now made the definition of marriage a defining issue in the presidential contest, especially in swing states like Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia, Florida and Nevada…

NOM will work ceaselessly in these swing states and across the nation to preserve traditional marriage because it is profoundly in the public good to do so. God is the author of marriage, and we will not let an activist politician like Barack Obama who is beholden to gay marriage activists for campaign financing to turn marriage into something political that can be redefined according to presidential whim.

An interesting take from R. Clarke Cooper of the Log Cabin Republicans:

That the president has chosen today, when LGBT Americans are mourning the passage of Amendment One, to finally speak up for marriage equality is offensive and callous.

Log Cabin Republicans appreciate that President Obama has finally come in line with leaders like Vice President Dick Cheney on this issue, but LGBT Americans are right to be angry that this calculated announcement comes too late to be of any use to the people of North Carolina, or any of the other states that have addressed this issue on his watch.

Here’s Andrea Lafferty of the Traditional Values Coalition:

This isn’t exactly a bold move by the president.  Forced by Joe Biden’s big mouth, Obama had no choice left but to publicly embrace an agenda he has privately promoted for years.

I’ve been saying this for the last four years.  Obama has always been in favor of homosexual marriage, but was forced to keep his enthusiasm at a distance for fear of offending the American public.

Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council:

The President’s announcement today that he supports legalizing same-sex marriage finally brings his words in sync with his actions. From opposing state marriage amendments to refusing to defend the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DoMA) to giving taxpayer funded marriage benefits to same-sex couples, the President has undermined the spirit if not the letter of the law.

As demonstrated by yesterday’s overwhelming vote in North Carolina, redefining marriage remains outside the mainstream of American politics, especially in the critical battleground states and among minority voters. In North Carolina, the amendment received more than 60 percent of the vote in majority-black counties.

[...]

The President has provided a clear contrast between him and his challenger Mitt Romney. Romney, who has signed a pledge to support a marriage protection amendment to the U.S. Constitution, may have been handed the key to social conservative support by President Obama.

Former presidential candidate Rick Santorum:

The announcement today by President Obama should come as no surprise to the American public.  President Obama has consistently fought against protecting the institution of marriage from radical social engineering at both the state and federal level.  The President recently opposed the North Carolina constitutional amendment and, of course, he refused to defend President Clinton’s Defense of Marriage Act before the U.S. Supreme court.  The charade is now over, no doubt an attempt to galvanize his core hard left supporters in advance of the November election.

Mitt Romney hasn’t yet responded to Obama’s announcement, but he did reaffirm his opposition to same-sex marriage and civil unions this morning.