A lot of folks seem to be somewhat afraid of the fact that George Bush has opened up the culture wars as part of his re-election campaign. I suggest that this is a very good sign. Here is why.
In a primary season it is axiomatic that a candidate needs to appeal to their base to win the nomination, and then once the nomination is secure, they move to the center so as not to scare off swing voters.
The perceived advantage for an incumbant president who faces no primary challenge is that he doesn't have to do that. He can start his campaign from the center, while his adversaries are playing to their base.
This year in Bush's case we have completely upended that dynamic. Bush is desperately playing to his base in a way that is going to turn off swing voters in the national election. This is good news folks. His combative state of the union speech, his defensive performance on MTP, and now his joining the fray regarding Gay marriage all means that he is forced to do all of the counter-productive things he would have had to do if he were challenged in the primaries. Good stuff. Not to worry. They are killing themselves with this nonsense.