What took Hilary Clinton so long to support gay marriage?

Yesterday Hilary Clinton announced a u-turn in her personal beliefs on gay marriage - she's now in favour - sparking more rumours that a 2016 run at the Presidency is in her sights. But what took the former VP so long to switch over?

The Economist's Lexington columnist berates La Clinton. Her announcement paints this reversal as the product of long-term support for gay rights and newfound freedom to express personal opinions outside of office. This, notes Lexington, makes "no mention of her earlier support for federal legislation defining marriage as between a man and a woman".

It also depicts the conversion as purely ideological, uncontaminated by "petty considerations such as opinion polls or the pro-marriage declarations of rival politicians". In all, "coming so late to the wedding party, she looks opportunistic and insincere".

The Christian Science Monitor unpicks the political implications. To have a shot at the White House, Clinton needs to make the most of her fundraising prowess - and "making her support for gay marriage official was almost certainly going to be a necessary step for many of her wealthy Hollywood donors".

She may not have announced candidacy yet, but it looks like the groundwork is being laid.