Human Rights for All

In a reversal of a Bush administration policy, President Obama and his administration support human rights for all and have decided to sign a U.N. declaration that condemns human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Wikipedia entry with the text of the declaration
Reuters coverage

Check out this NY Times article from back in December when the declaration was first brought up. At the end of the article, the former US position is explained:

The official American position was based on highly technical legal grounds. The text, by using terminology like “without distinction of any kind,” was too broad because it might be interpreted as an attempt by the federal government to override states’ rights on issues like gay marriage, American diplomats and legal experts said.

“We are opposed to any discrimination, legally or politically, but the nature of our federal system prevents us from undertaking commitments and engagements where federal authorities don’t have jurisdiction,” said Alejandro D. Wolff, the deputy permanent representative.

So suddenly the (thankfully former) administration woke up to the federal system and couldn't find the authority to support a declaration that the entire EU and every major western country has supported. They can figure out how to twist the Commerce Clause in such a way that allowed them to raid the homes of terminally ill patients who are trying to get some relief with medical marijuana, but they couldn't figure out how to support human rights for all citizens of the world without peeking into their bedroom. Sheesh!