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Log Cabin Criticizes Plans for White House Event to Push Divisive and Discriminatory Anti-Family Constitutional Amendment

President Bush Should Unite the American Family, not Divide It

June 1, 2006

Log Cabin Criticizes Plans for White House Event to Push Divisive and Discriminatory Anti-Family Constitutional Amendment

President Bush Should Unite the American Family, not Divide It

(Washington, DC) – "Strong leadership in the midst of the difficult and challenging war on terror demands a President who unites Americans instead of dividing them," said Log Cabin President Patrick Guerriero. "President Bush's decision to use the bully pulpit of the Presidency and the formality of a White House event to espouse an anti-family constitutional amendment is an insult to millions of gay and lesbian Americans and our families," said Guerriero.

"This amendment proposal is a direct attack on the core Republican belief in federalism. And, it is an affront to true conservatives and traditional Republicans who have always denounced efforts to play politics with the U.S. Constitution," said Guerriero.

There is no stronger and more powerful case against the President's attempt to write discrimination into the United States Constitution than the words of his own White House and fellow conservatives.

The White House:

In both the 2000 and 2004, Vice President Dick Cheney said states should decide this issue. Here's what Cheney said in the vice presidential debate during the 2000 campaign:

"The fact of the matter is that matter [the legal recognition of relationships] is regulated by the states. I think different states are likely to come to different conclusions, and that's appropriate. I don't think there should necessarily be a federal policy in this area."

Mary Cheney also criticizes the amendment in a series of recent interviews. Here's what she said on "Fox News Sunday" on May 14th.

"It (the marriage amendment) is writing discrimination into the constitution and, as I say, it is fundamentally wrong. I would also hope that no one would think about trying to amend the constitution as a political strategy."

Also on "Fox News Sunday," First Lady Laura Bush said the issue shouldn't be used for partisan gain, "I don't think (gay marriage) should be used as a campaign tool, obviously. It requires a lot of sensitivity to just talk about the issue – a lot of sensitivity."

Conservatives:

Former US Senator John Danforth (R-MO) spoke out against the amendment at Log Cabin's National Convention on April 29, 2006.

"It is said that this [amendment] is necessary to protect marriage. Whose marriage is this going to protect? How conceivably could it protect any marriage in the United States? Some historian should really look at all of the proposals that have been put forth throughout the history of our country for possible Constitutional amendments. Maybe at some point in time there was one that was sillier than this one, but I don't know of one."

Syndicated Columnist George Will recently wrote that the marriage amendment would "clutter" the constitution. He said conservative Senator John Sununu's (R-NH) vote against the amendment in 2004 "affirmed the value of... federalism."

US Senator John McCain (R-AZ) has spoken out against the amendment several times recently. Here's what he said on "Larry King Live on May 24th.

"I believe that the people of Arizona should make the decision concerning the sanctity of heterosexual marriage and union between a man and woman. And I believe the people of Massachusetts should make their decision, and others. I think it's up to the states to make those decisions. And by the way, that's the federalist approach."