NOM: Paul Would Destroy "Traditional" Marriage

As the Iowa presidential caucus approaches, the antigay National Organization for Marriage has begun running an ad in the state denouncing Ron Paul as insufficiently anti-marriage equality.

The ad opens by saying, "All the major presidential candidates have pledged to preserve traditional marriage," except Paul, a Texas congressman. It also notes that he once said "Sure" to same-sex marriage rights and has said that perhaps the government should get out of the marriage business.

"Many people think that Ron Paul is a conservative, but when it comes to marriage, he's no conservative -- his position is radical and will lead to the destruction of traditional marriage in America," said NOM president Brian Brown in a press release.

Actually, Paul's position is rather mixed -- he has said he opposes a constitutional amendment to deny marriage rights to gay couples, but he also supports the Defense of Marriage Act, a law that prevents federal recognition of same-sex marriages and allows states not to recognize those performed in other states. Still, he has not actively courted marriage equality opponents (although he does have some antigay supporters), as the other Republican presidential hopefuls have.

Brown toldThe New York Timesthat this was a crucial time to publicize Paul's stand on marriage, with the caucus scheduled for Tuesday. "There's five days left," he said. "This is the critical period. This is a very unique election. People are still making up their minds in Iowa, and that's why it's important we do this now."

Watch the ad below.