Madame Askins, fresh from her recent "Wine Tasting & Art Auction" fundraiser, has learned how to be "nuanced" in her answers to controversial questions. We can't blame her for not wanting to upset her ritzy patrons, especially after they presumably wrote her thousands of dollars worth of checks - in between discussing abstract art and sipping Bordeaux. While most ordinary Oklahomans (Democrats & Republicans alike) are strongly against gay marriage and can't relate to the circles Madame Askins apparently runs in, she responded with this Clintonesque answer regarding gay marriage at the KFOR town hall debate last night. "My religion believes marriage is between a man and a woman. But my religion also is the same one that teaches me to treat other people the way I want to be treated and to show tolerance ... and that's what I intend to do." As one political observer noted to OKPNS, "She sounded like a blue state Democrat trying to split the difference -- not offend traditional Oklahoma voters, but throw a bone to gay activists in the liberal Oklahoma Democrat base." The observer also noted that this isn't the only policy area that Oklahoma Democrats have been accused of duplicity: "Oklahoma Democrats have for years told voters in districts they are pro-life, then go about quietly killing pro-life bills in committee once at the state capitol. Incidentally, only in the past two years of House Republican control did any significant pro-life bills make it to the governor's desk. Brad Henry was then forced to reverse his on-the-record pro-abortion stance and sign the bills." Posted at 10/26/2006 02:26:00 PM