Howard Dean has become the man to beat in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. As has been widely noted, he’s beginning to get the kind of intense scrutiny that front runners attract. But while most of the attention has been paid to Dean’s more trivial missteps there’s a profoundly important aspect of his broader philosophy that’s gone virtually undiscussed -- his stance on states’ rights.

The issue that illuminates this matter is gay rights and, in particular, same-sex civil unions. Of course, as governor of Vermont, Dean signed into law a bill recognizing such unions. The Vermont law grants gay and lesbian couples all the rights and privileges of heterosexual married couples (save the right to be married itself).

That action has prompted a few reporters to ask Dean about his support for such a law at the national level. His answer has been virtually the same in all cases -- he is opposed. Why would he oppose a national law that he felt justified in endorsing for his state? Because he apparently believes that the federal government has no right to intervene in state decision-making.
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