Video: Gov. David Paterson introduces a same-sex marriage bill in New York

Can you imagine California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger doing this? Of course not – he twice vetoed same-sex marriage bills that had been approved by the state legislature.  On Thursday, New York Gov. James A. Paterson introduced a bill on Thursday to legalize same-sex marriage and vowed to personally involve himself in the legislative debate at a level that is rare for a chief executive in New York.

The New York Times writes: At a news conference in Manhattan on Thursday, Mr. Paterson, a Democrat, invoked the abolitionist movement of the 1800s, the writings of Harriet Beecher Stowe and the Supreme Court’s Dred Scott decision to argue that New York had neglected civil rights for gays and lesbians for too long. “I’m putting a stop to it,” he said. “We have a duty to make sure equality exists for everyone.”

Bravo!