SF Chronicle columnist Debra Saunders on Gov. Schwarzenegger and AG Jerry Brown's failure to do their duty and uphold the law:

When 52 percent of California voters passed Proposition 8 in November 2008, Attorney General Jerry Brown said he would defend the measure during the inevitable appeals. Then, as is his fashion, Brown changed his mind.

Ditto Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who twice vetoed same-sex marriage bills passed by the Legislature in deference to California voters who passed an earlier same-sex marriage statute in 2000.

But after Prop. 8 passed, both refused to defend the measure.

. . . . The heat, however, should be on Brown, who is running for governor. As AG, it's Brown's job to represent the people in court.

As former state attorney general and now Rep. Dan Lungren, R-Gold River (Sacramento County), put it, "I defended laws that I voted against. That was my obligation. You do your best job. You try to find the best arguments that you can, irrespective of the subject matter."

If you don't want to do that, then don't run for the office.

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