Reply #24: "... in the absence of a new law, the government is duty-bound to enforce the laws of the land..."

[ClarkUSA]

The Department of Justice insists that Pres. Obama wants Congress to change DOMA... but in the absence of a new law, the government is duty-bound to enforce the laws of the land unless they are clearly unconstitutional... The response from Obama aides has generally been... Trust us. We're doing what we can. We'll get this stuff done. But it will take some time. We've got a lot on our plate.

"Note that the standard for defending a statute, once enacted, is lower than whether, in our judgment, it is constitutional," a senior administration official said. "It is whether there are arguments that can be made. The DOMA statute has been found constitutional by at least 6 courts and has never been struck down. Whatever we think, it would be pretty hard to say that there are not 'reasonable arguments' with that context."

Link: http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009/06/obama_admin_hearts_doma_do_gays_still_heart_obama.php