Argumentum Ad Hominem Exercises Question 10

Evaluation of Example 10: President Clinton on Defense of Marriage Act

Passage:

“Given his track record on marital fidelity, former President Bill Clinton is not the person I would consult about ‘committed, loving relationships.’ Clinton used those words in a Washington Post op-ed last week, urging the Supreme Court to overturn the 1966 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage as the legal union of one man and one woman, which he signed into law.”

Cal Thomas, “The Sound of Inevitability,” Index-Journal 94 no. 316 (14 Mar. 2013), 8A.

Analsyis:

Since Clinton's reasons for overturning DOMA are denounced on the basis of his extramarital affairs, the ad hominem circumstantial fallacy is committed.

Mr. Clinton claims DOMA should be overturned.
Mr. Clinton has had extra-marital affairs.
DOMA should not be overturned.