The platform draft, “refusing to unite our party and refusing to recognize that people of good faith can disagree over contentious social issues, sends the wrong message to fair-minded voters,” said Patrick Guerriero, executive director of Log Cabin Republicans.
Well, refusing to unite a party is a bit dramatic, no? I mean, under the party umbrella are a bunch of people who disagree on a whole bevy of issues. Popular (media) opinion aside, Rep's aren't some Borg "hive-mind".
Also, I think it's a bit of a reach to say (w/o any specific facts...) that b/c the conservatives refused to stipulate that these issues were areas in which it was OK to disagree that they've foreclosed opportunity to disagree -- which it seems is what Mr. Guerriero is saying.
It's not how I'd have handled it, but I'm not a particularly "good" conservative.
Though I'm not pro (or anti-) gay marriage, attacking legitimacy of civil unions is uncalled for. If I take the G&M at its face value (and I don't) I'd say that element of the plank is pretty damned close to "mean spirited". Let's see what W does when he lays out the platform at the RNC.