Evolving or flip-flopping?

Think about it: if a Republican had a position, then backtracked on the position, then modified the position, then claimed to be 'thinking' about the position and then, just before an election came back around to the original position, do you think the media - or anyone, for that matter - would be praising that?

But that's exactly what has happened with President Barack Obama's flip-flopping on gay marriage.

As the Weekly Standard's Elliott Abrams writes (emphasis added):

In fact, Obama has not “evolved”—he has changed his position whenever his political fortunes required him to do so. Running for the Illinois state senate from a trendy area of Chicago in 1996, he was for gay marriage. “I favor legalizing same-sex marriages,” he wrote in answer to a questionnaire back then. In 2004, he was running for the U.S. Senate and needed to appeal to voters statewide. So he evolved, and favored civil unions but opposed homosexual “marriage.” In 2008, running for president, he said, “I believe marriage is between a man and a woman. I am not in favor of gay marriage.” Now in 2012, facing a tough reelection campaign where he needs energized supporters of gay “marriage” and has disappointed them with his refusal to give them his support, he is for it. To paraphrase John Kerry, he was for it before he was against it before he was for it again.

So he was for it, then he supported civil unions, then he opposed it, then he was 'evolving' and now he's for it again.

Really?

Do you actually believe he's suddenly seen the light? Or has he stuck his finger in the air to find out which way the wind is blowing?

And if he originally supported gay marriage, then said he believed marriage was between a man and a woman and now says he supports gay marriage again, did he ever truly believe marriage was between a man and a woman in the middle?

If you supported him because he supported traditional marriage, did you not look at his record previously?

If you support him now because he supports gay marriage, do you think he will change his mind yet again?

Had this been a true change of heart, he wouldn't be full circle back to what he believed in 1996.

We all need to be honest with ourselves and call this what it is, regardless of our political parties, position on the issue, political philosophy or who we plan to vote for in November.

This is not 'evolving.' This is flip-flopping. To call it anything else is hypocrisy.