Kmiec brilliantly defends the Church's teaching on same-sex marriage .... not

Instead he tries to broker a deal that sells Catholic teaching far short:

One conservative constitutional scholar has said that the court could both affirm its historic May 15 ruling giving gays equality and uphold Proposition 8 by requiring the state to use a term other than "marriage" and apply it to all couples, gay and straight.

"The alternatives are for the court to accept Proposition 8 and authorize the people to rewrite the Constitution in a way that undermines a basic principle of equality," said Pepperdine law professor Douglas Kmiec. If the court overturns Proposition 8, "that is the short course toward impeachment."

...Kmiec, a Catholic, said he reluctantly voted for Proposition 8 "because of the instructions of my faith community" but felt "entirely unsatisfied" with the outcome. (LA Times)

Let's just draw out what Kmiec is actually saying:

• He's offering a purely semantic solution, as if that would satisfy either side
• If homosexuals can't marry, Kmiec says, that undermines a basic principle of equality
• Kmiec reluctantly follows the teaching of the Church and finds its guidance "entirely unsatisfy[ing]"

I'll just let his own words stick to him.

Meanwhile, justices in California are arguments "for and against the validity of the controversial November ballot measure that barred same-sex unions in California by declaring marriage only for a man and a woman." (Saramento Bee).

I guess Kmiec is more liberal than Cardinal Mahony on this issue. That's quite an accomplishment.