“Religion is far more of a choice than homosexuality. And the protections that we have for religion–we protect religion. And talk about a lifestyle choice. That is absolutely a choice. Gay people don’t choose to be gay. At what age did you choose to not be gay?” –Jon Stewart, to guest Mike Huckabee, on The Daily Show

Jon Stewart, courtesy Comedy Central

Last night I watched for a second time the exchange between Jon Stewart and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee on the issue of gay marriage. You can see the full episode online. Stewart and Huckabee are both smart, genial, and telegenic, and they seem to have developed a friendly rapport over the course of Huckabee’s many appearances on the show. That apparent rapport makes the confrontation here more genuine and interesting than most of these staged showdowns on cable news.

It got me to thinking again about the basic issues involved,…