Conservative leaders dissatisfied with the White House's new marriage campaign are calling on President Bush to voice support for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.
Earlier this week Bush unveiled a $1.5 billion "healthy marriage initiative" to promote marriage and discourage out-of-wedlock births, particularly among the nation's poor.
Concerned Women for America (CWA), a conservative lobbying group, criticized the initiative in a press release on Wednesday, saying it's "no substitute for a principled defense of marriage in the face of relentless legal attacks by homosexual activists."
"This is like lobbing a snowball at a forest fire," said CWA President Sandy Rios. "This administration is dancing dangerously around the issue of homosexual marriage."
Hmmm. Holy wedge issue batman. Here is Bush trying to quickly become the thoughtful, compassionate conservative in time for the election with his drive-by wreathing* and his trip to Mars, and the Concerned Women With Closet-Case Husbands is having none of it. Gay rights is a tricky wedge issue. It certainly benefits the GOP when courts are deciding in favor of gay marriage (though I would have the courts do no other thing), but when conservatives push too far, it can backfire. If it backfires on the Prez, I say amen.
*this was coined by some guy interviewed on Bernie Ward's radio show who was the spokesman or leader for some Southern black religious-affiliated group, when commenting on Bush laying the wreath at MLK's grave.