In addition to the most widely-quoted paragraph of Sunday’s Washington Post story (“President Bush said the public’s decision to reelect him was a ratification of his approach toward Iraq and that there was no reason to hold any administration officials accountable for mistakes or misjudgments in prewar planning or managing the violent aftermath”), there are also some interesting paragraphs about the Federal Marriage Amendment.
On the domestic front, Bush said he would not lobby the Senate to pass a constitutional amendment outlawing same-sex marriage.
While seeking reelection, Bush voiced strong support for such a ban, and many political analysts credit this position for inspiring record turnout among evangelical Christians, who are fighting same-sex marriage at every juncture. Groups such as the Family Research Council have made the marriage amendment their top priority for the next four years.
The president said there is no reason to press for the amendment because so many senators are convinced that the Defense of Marriage Act — which says states that outlaw same-sex unions do not have to recognize such marriages conducted outside their borders — is sufficient. “Senators have made it clear that so long as DOMA is deemed constitutional, nothing will happen. I’d take their admonition seriously. . . . Until that changes, nothing will happen in the Senate.”
Bush’s position is likely to infuriate some of his socially conservative supporters, but congressional officials say it will be impossible to secure the 67 votes needed to pass the amendment in the Senate.
Yesterday morning, the day after the interview, White House spokesman Scott McClellan called to say the president wished to clarify his position, saying Bush was “willing to spend political capital” but believes it will be virtually impossible to overcome Senate resistance until the courts render a verdict on DOMA.
That’s a relief. It’s not like the FMA could ever have gotten the votes of 67 senators anyway, but it’s good that Bush is retreating. (Though it’s what some would call flip-flopping.) DOMA’s not going anywhere for now — the U.S. Supreme Court would probably find it constitutional if given the chance — so it looks like this will remain a state-by-state issue. The next state to legalize gay marriage will probably be New Jersey, followed by California. And momentum is on our side.
This is good, good, good.
(Here’s Andrew Sullivan’s take.)