What’s madding about this whole ENDA debacle is that Bush will veto the bill anyway, so it’s strictly a symbolic vote (Bush will veto it and there’s not enough votes to override), and as Rep. Tammy Baldwin (the only out lesbian in the House) said, “[I]t is a mistake to concede defeat on an issue, before our opponents even raise it.” The signal this whole debacle sends is that folks like Frank are willing to throw parts of the community overboard before the going gets tough. So what else is he willing to throw overboard when it does?

As far the “we’ll come back for you later,” it’s only happened in four of the 23 states that passed sexual orientation-only protections. In New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, six years later gender/identity protections are still languishing. In Massachusetts, it’s been 17 years. And it’s been 18 years in Wisconsin—the first state to pass sexual orientation protections.

Those who claim if “straight-acting” ENDA isn’t passed now (ignoring the fact that it will be vetoed, which Frank himself acknowledges) it’ll take 20 years to pass seem to forget there’s presidential race next year, so it’s only a year or two until there’s enough votes in the House and the Senate—and in all probability a Democratic president who won’t veto it. As far as Frank’s argument about opening up Congress critters to charges of “flip-flopping”and thus hurting ENDA’s chances in a future vote, 1) by that logic he shouldn’t have reintroduced ENDA, since it failed in 1996, and there’s people who will vote for it now who didn’t vote for then; 2) here in California, Assemblyman Mark Leno kept re-introducing California’s ENDA year after year—and guess what, each year it gained a few more votes until it passed.

These are some of the reasons that nearly 300 local, state and national LGBT organizations have said they don’t support a “straight-acting only” ENDA. So it’s Frank who’s “not dealing with reality” here. While I never thought I’d agree with anything the Traditional Value Coalition says, their executive director nails it: “Barney Frank marches out there and finds there are no troops behind him.” It’s a shame Frank can’t take all the time and energy he’s spending pouting and trying prove he’s knows best and and instead devote it to getting an inclusive ENDA passed.