Can you give me the Cliff Notes on how they thought this thing was going to play out?
The Mayor Of S.F. Heard the President's speech where the President mention marriage in passing. The mayor got the bright idea to press the issue by issuing marriage licenses to same sex couples, got him great press but has the RATS running in circles because they fear the wedge issue. The gays are being so strident that they are demanding that other states recognize the marriages in defiance of some state laws and the federal law. This is of course all headed to the Courts.
The only remedy will be a Constitutional Amendment, the old RAT answer of let the states decide is being shredded before their very eyes. The CA voters voted (62%) against gay marriage and it probably will be overturned by the courts.
The joke is that the Gay Couples modified the Marriage licenses to meet their individual peculiarity's by doing such things as changing "Husband" and "Wife" to something neutral. The State only recognizes a standard form and is threatening to send the licenses back unrecognized.