pResident's Friend on Gay Marriage: I don't think he gives a s--t about it

[Laura PourMeADrink]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13121953/site/newsweek/

Politics of the Altar
GOP leaders are putting gay marriage back on the agenda. Will voters respond?


By Debra Rosenberg
Newsweek
June 12, 2006 issue - Back in 2004, suburban Seattle pastor Alec Rowlands watched with dismay as gay couples in Massachusetts flocked to courthouses and churches, exchanged vows and walked away legally wed. Now he worries a similar scenario could unfold in his own backyard. Last year, the Washington State Supreme Court heard arguments in two gay-marriage cases of its own; a decision is expected soon. In Massachusetts, an obscure law allows only state residents to wed. But Washington has no residency requirements. So if the justices approve gay marriage—as many on both sides of the issue predict—courthouse doors would swing open to gay couples across the nation. "We will become the Las Vegas for same-sex marriage," frets Rowlands.

Just two years ago, gay-marriage opponents like Rowlands were everywhere. Thirteen states passed constitutional amendments barring same-sex unions and, in Ohio, the marriage ban was widely credited with boosting turnout and propelling George W. Bush to a second term. But after Election Day, the issue faded. Now it's back, complete with all the activists, dire predictions and dueling poll numbers. But the landscape has changed since 2004. Democrats argue that gay marriage is just a diversion from rising gas prices, the ongoing struggle in Iraq and immigration reform. With so much else to worry about, will voters care?
This week Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist will again bring the Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA) up for a vote; the House could weigh in next month. Though it isn't expected to pass either House, supporters want to get pols on the record before November. "It's a way to build momentum," says FMA author Matt Daniels, president of the Alliance for Marriage. Bush himself had been mostly mum on gay marriage since his re-election. But now, with his poll numbers in a nose dive and even his most enthusiastic supporters grousing, Bush took up the cause in his radio address Saturday; an amendment is needed because "activist courts have left our nation with no other choice," he explained. The president also plans to address amendment supporters in the Old Executive Office Building on Monday.


Though Bush himself has publicly embraced the amendment, he never seemed to care enough to press the matter. One of his old friends told NEWSWEEK that same-sex marriage barely registers on the president's moral radar. "I think it was purely political. I don't think he gives a s--t about it. He never talks about this stuff," said the friend, who requested anonymity to discuss his private conversations with Bush. White House aides, who also declined to be identified, insist that the president does care about banning gay marriage. They say Monday's events with amendment supporters—Bush will also meet privately with a small group—have been in the works "for weeks" and aren't just a sop to conservatives.

[Virginia Dare]

1. George W. Chimp only gives a shit about one thing...

HIMSELF!

:argh:

[Freedom_from_Chains]

2. The only reason this is back on the agenda

is because the election is coming up and Pubs are hoping to rally their base, or anyone for that matter, by promising to get rid of fags if they will vote for them.

[bigtree]

5. correct. that's the only reason.

[Catshrink]

6. Agreed

if they really gave a rat's ass about marriage, they'd be all up in arms about divorce. Oh, but St. Ronnie was divorced. Hm...so was Oxyrush and Newtie. How many other RWers are divorced?

It's the hypocrisy!

[Arkansas Granny]

7. You are absolutely right on this. The only reason this is rearing

it's ugly head again is because Bush's numbers are tanking and he doesn't have much else to talk about. The war is going bad, the economy is only good for the investor class, scandals, and the list goes on and on. He's just trying to drum up a little support, even if it means discriminating against citizens of the US.

[Virginia Dare]

8. Not to mention, there's more than a little quid pro quo going on...

with Norquist and the fundies who put him in the White House.

[Arkansas Granny]

9. That's exactly who he's trying to impress with this little gem. He

really doesn't have much support anywhere else.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

10. Well the poll I saw on CNN says that the country is split 50-50

I just saw Mr Smith Goes to Washington again yesterday. I love that movie. I wish someone had some guts like that - to filibuster and stall the stupid shit these crazy wingnuts bring up.

If I were a politician, I would say, " Pull-eeze, I do not want to even spend one moment of our time talking about what people in love should or shouldn't be doing. We have hate and a spiraling out of control war to deal with and people are dying as we speak."

[sinkingfeeling]

3. I don't think Georgie gives a s--t about anything other than money and

booze. Everything thing he's done is purely political. That makes him the worst president and worst human being on the planet.

[bryant69]

4. It's all politics

But it works because people are too dumb to figure it out or too cynical to care.

Bryant
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