In a reversal that’s got White House people running around trying to clarify things, Bush has said that he’s not going to push for an anti-gay amendment to the Constitution after all. Awwww… Isn’t that nice. I guess he doesn’t need it, now that his biggotry and the liberal use of “god, guns, and gays” has gotten him reelected.
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White House In Damage Control After Bush Gay Amendment Remark
by Paul Johnson 365Gay.com Washington Bureau Chief
Posted: January 17, 2005 8:02 am. ET
(Washington) Conservative groups that supported President Bush’s reelection wasted no time in reacting to his suggestion Sunday that he would not push for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage in his second term.
Bush made the remarks in an interview with The Washington Post. (story)
“The point is, is that Senators have made it clear that so long as DOMA is deemed constitutional, nothing will happen. I’d take that admonition seriously,” Bush told the Post.
But within hours of the Post hitting newsstands Bush aide Dan Bartlett and other conservatives were on the TV Sunday talk show circuit to “clarify” the president’s statement.
Bartlett said the president was only speaking about the reality of getting a two-thirds vote in the Senate, adding that it doesn’t change Bush’s position that an amendment is needed and that ” he’ll continue to push for an amendment.”
The switchboard at the White House “lit up like a Christmas tree” shortly after the Post article hit the streets noted one White House employee.
Conservative Christian groups that backed the President last November warned the GOP shortly after the election that they had better make a second attempt at passing the amendment if they want support in 2006. And, conservative Republicans say they intend to bring the amendment back in the new session of Congress.
Speaking on Fox, Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania) said, “I can tell you, I’m not going to break faith with social conservatives, and I know the president won’t either.”
Last September, when the proposed amendment came to a vote, it failed to get the two-thirds majority needed. (story) Even with greater numbers in both the House and the Senate it remains doubtful the amendment would pass.
Democrats last week called on the President to abandon his push for an amendment. (story)
The DNC in its Pride at the Polls newsletter to more than 100,000 party supporters last week called on President Bush to tell House Majority Leader Tom Delay to ” stop discriminating against Americans.”
DeLay (R-Texas) has made it clear that he wants the amendment approved. “We will come back and come back until this is passed.” (story)
It is not the first time Bush has sent out conflicting statements on same-sex relationships.
In an interview with ABC in the days leading up to the election Bush said that while he opposes gay marriage he would support giving rights to same-sex couples. (story)
Bush said that he didn’t think “we should deny people rights to a civil union [or] a legal arrangement if that’s what a state chooses to do.”
©365Gay.com 2005