According to the Unification Church owned rightwing magazine Insight, there is dissension in the Republican upper ranks over the upcoming debate over a proposed anti-gay amendment to the Constitution:
The issue of gay marriage is causing divisions within the Republican Party, including the highest reaches of the White House.
Unlike her husband, whose approval ratings are languishing in the low 30s, Laura Bush’s polling was as high as 82 in January.The split has been so pronounced that President Bush faces strong opposition within his own administration to a constitutional amendment that would outlaw gay marriage. The split has pitted Mr. Bush against his own wife, first lady Laura Bush.
Mrs. Bush has warned that promoting the amendment could backfire against the GOP in congressional races in November. She has suggested that
a constitutional amendment would hamper any constructive debate over gay marriage.“Well, I don’t think it should be used as a campaign tool, obviously,” Mrs. Bush said. “But I do think it’s something that people in the United States want to debate. And it requires a lot of sensitivity to talk about the issue, a lot of sensitivity.”
The president even finds himself on the opposite side of the issue from his vice president:
Vice President Dick Cheney, whose daughter is a lesbian, also opposes the bill. Administration sources said Mr. Cheney has argued against introducing a constitutional amendment in 2006.
So who supports the amendment in the president’s inner circle?
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove have been forceful proponents of the legislation.
Both Mr. Frist and Mr. Rove have assessed that the legislation will help mobilize the Christian Right to support GOP candidates for Congress. Recent polls show a sharp drop in support for the administration among conservatives.
“I basically say, Mr. Vice President, right now marriage is under attack in this country,” Mr. Frist said. “And we’ve seen activist judges overturning state by state law, where state legislatures have passed laws defining marriage between a man and a woman, and that’s being overturned by a handful of activist judges around the country. And that is why we need an amendment to come to the floor of the United States Senate to define marriage as that union between one man and one woman.”
