CARNAL NATION

In a move that can only add pressure on the Obama administration to repeal the military "don't ask don't tell" policy the State Department plans to give benefits to same gender partners of US diplomats. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says in a memo to department employees "It will also help the department attract and retain personnel in a competitive environment where domestic partner benefits and allowances are increasingly the norm for world-class employers."

"The department will provide these benefits for both opposite-sex and same-sex domestic partners because it is the right thing to do," Clinton says.

AP reports that the announcement, expected this week, was provided by a State Department official who is a member of the Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies organization. Two department officials not affiliated with the organization confirmed its accuracy.