An advocate for sound policy in the military says a recent decision by the Obama Justice Department goes against a congressional mandate to defend traditional marriage.

The New York Times recently reported that Attorney General Eric Holder backs equal benefits for so-called "gay" couples in the military, even though Congress has not sanctioned same-sex "marriage" for military personnel.

In a letter to House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), Holder said the DOJ shared the view of plaintiffs in a Massachusetts lawsuit against "unconstitutional" statutes that block same-sex military spouses from receiving marriage benefits, including visitation rights at military hospitals, survivor benefits, and burial together at military cemeteries. The attorney general announced nearly a year ago that the Obama administration would no longer defend the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

Elaine DonnellyBut Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness, says Holder's policy goes against the will of Congress.

"When they voted to repeal the law regarding gays in the military, that legislation specified that the Defense of Marriage Act should be defended," she recalls. "It wasn't until about four or five weeks later, after the bill passed, that the Department of Justice said Oh, guess what -- we're not going to defend the Defense of Marriage Act at all"...