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Yesterday, both Hilary Clinton’s and Barack Obama’s camps responded to the California’s Supreme Court’s decision to repeal the ban on same sex marriage. As did the presumptive Republican nominee, John McCain, and the Libertarian presidential hopeful, Bob Barr. 

Here’s what Clinton’s statement had to say:

“Hillary Clinton believes that gay and lesbian couples in committed relationships should have the same rights and responsibilities as all Americans and believes that civil unions are the best way to achieve this goal. As President, Hillary Clinton will work to ensure that same sex couples have access to these rights and responsibilities at the federal level. She has said and continues to believe that the issue of marriage should be left to the states.”

And Obama, who supports the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Acts (DOMA) said:

“Barack Obama has always believed that same-sex couples should enjoy equal rights under the law, and he will continue to fight for civil unions as President. He respects the decision of the California Supreme Court, and continues to believe that states should make their own decisions when it comes to the issue of marriage.”

McCain’s response was, not surprisingly, against the decision, stating he believes ballot are initiatives are the answer”

“McCain supports the right of the people of California to recognize marriage as a unique institution sanctioning the union between a man and a woman, just as he did in his home state of Arizona. John McCain doesn’t believe judges should be making these decisions.”

Barr, the Libertarian, while conservative in his values, said this:

“Regardless of whether one supports or opposes same sex marriage, the decision to recognize such unions or not ought to be a power each state exercises on its own, rather than imposition of a one-size-fits-all mandate by the federal government (as would be required by a Federal Marriage Amendment which has been previously proposed and considered by the Congress). The decision today by the Supreme Court of California properly reflects this fundamental principle of federalism on which our nation was founded.”