Vermont's half-blind old warhorse senator Patrick Leahy, known hero, is holding hearings today about the Defense of Marriage Act, and during testimony he got conservative group Focus on the Family's Vice President of Public Policy Tom Minnery to admit that the 1996 law cheats children.

Because DOMA denies same-sex marriage on a federal level, children of gay parents who are legally married in their state are denied certain benefits and protections that children of married straight parents automatically receive. A clear injustice done by DOMA that has nothing to do with who's gay and who isn't. So clear, in fact, that the dogged Leahy got Minnery to admit it. It's fun to look at the slight change of expression on Minnery's face as he realizes he's just placed himself, and the entire anti-marriage equality cause, in opposition to innocent children, the very voiceless mass of tiny sufferers FotF and its ilk are always crowing about protecting. Oops! [via ThinkProgress]