Our guest columnist is Eric Holder.

In the two years since this Administration took office, the Department of Justice has defended Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act on several occasions in federal court. Each of those cases evaluating Section 3 was considered in jurisdictions in which binding circuit court precedents hold that laws singling out people based on sexual orientation, as DOMA does, are constitutional if there is a rational basis for their enactment. While the President opposes DOMA and believes it should be repealed, the Department has defended it in court because we were able to advance reasonable arguments under that rational basis standard.

Section 3 of DOMA has now been challenged in the Second Circuit, however, which has no established or binding standard for how laws concerning sexual orientation should be treated. In these cases, the Administration faces for the first time the question of whether laws regarding sexual orientation are subject to the more permissive standard of review or whether a more rigorous standard, under which laws targeting minority groups with a history of discrimination are viewed with suspicion by the courts, should apply.

After careful consideration, including a review of my recommendation, the President has concluded that given a number of factors, including a documented history of discrimination, classifications based on sexual orientation should be subject to a more heightened standard of scrutiny. The President has also concluded that Section 3 of DOMA, as applied to legally married same-sex couples, fails to meet that standard and is therefore unconstitutional. Given that conclusion, the President has instructed the Department not to defend the statute in such cases. I fully concur with the President’s determination.

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A Buffalo, NY, alternative newspaper publisher says he spoke to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker by posing as David Koch. Don’t know if the conversation is for real, but it’s entertaining.

UPDATE: Walker’s office has confirmed that it was him on the call. The Buffalo Beast’s website has crashed, but HuffPo’s Jason Linkins spoke with the publisher and has details about the call. Transcript here if you don’t have time to listen to the recording, but it’s fascinating to hear how little the caller had to say to get Walker to blab on.

[MoJo: Did Scott Walker Get Crank Call Pwned?] (H/T: Rev. Benedick and KarenMarie)

Part One:

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Ladies and gentlemen, the Golden Boy of American Conservatism today:

In Wisconsin and Ohio, they have decided there can no longer be two classes of citizens: one that receives rich health and pension benefits, and all the rest who are left to pay for them.

Democrat or Republican, it doesn’t matter. We are all facing the same problems. These problems are bigger than either political party. The promises of the past are too expensive, and the prospects of the future are too important to stay on the old, failed course.

That would be Chris Christie, giving his budget address in New Jersey on Tuesday.

The first thing you’ll notice is that a Republican is waging class war, something which apparently is permitted so long as the class doesn’t include the wealthiest two percent of Americans. (If you want to be precise, it’s really divide-and-conquer, couched in resentful rhetoric.)

But here’s the line that’s really gnawing at us:

The promises of the past are too expensive.

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Asshat/drug addict/pill-popper/sack of shit Rush Limbaugh joined Talibunny and Michele Bachman in the onslaught of attacks on Michelle Obama’s “Get Moving” nutrition campaign, criticizing her on Monday for eating ribs. On today’s show, Jabba insisted that his comments were not “below the belt” because “take a look at some pictures. Given where she wears her belts, I mean she wears them high up there around the bust line. Isn’t just about everything about her below the belt when you look at the fashion sense she has?”

Now Rush. FSM knows that I and other members of the Stinque Fashion team have sighed in exasperation with Shelley Oh’s tendency to wear her belts high. But it comes from a place of love, just like Tom and Lo over at Project Rungay. And you, of all people, should not be commenting on fashion.

Stinque After Dark Update: Bonus shot for str8 guys — you owe me, Dodger — of Shelley Oh’s sexy muscular legs and latest unfortunate belt placement is after the jump.

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I seriously think this guy has W-like fetal alcohol syndrome. And if it’s a fireside chat, shouldn’t there be a fire?

“Sen. Harry Reid on Tuesday called for ‘an adult conversation’ about prostitution in Nevada, saying it is an impediment to economic development because it discourages businesses from moving here. ‘Nevada needs to be known as the first place for innovation and investment — not as the last place where prostitution is still legal,’ he said.” [Las Vegas Sun, via Political Wire]

“Indiana Democrats are reportedly joining their Wisconsin counterparts in staging an exodus from their state to protest a new union-busting Republican measure. Only two of Indiana’s 40 House Democrats showed up for a session Tuesday morning, precluding Republicans from attaining the votes needed to proceed on motions.” Governor Mitch Daniels calls for Republicans to stand down. [Raw Story, Indianapolis Star]