That's the AP headline, though I think mine is more accurate. Here are some rich quotes:
"Most Americans are not yet convinced that their elected representatives or the judiciary are likely to expand decisively the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples," said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a possible presidential candidate in 2008. He told the Senate on Tuesday he does not support the amendment.McCain is full of it. Most Americans, by a wide majority, know that marriage is one man and one woman. He also knows that the Court in Massachusetts already unilaterally declared that gay marriage was implicitly mandated by its state constitution, even though the laws on the books for hundreds of years clearly shows otherwise. He also knows that local officials in New York and San Francisco started passing out marriage licenses to gay couples in clear contravention of those states' laws. He also knows that there are currently cases in the state and federal court system challenge marriage laws that define it as one man and one woman. He also knows that left wing judges won't follow the laws or the constitution and will declare unconstitutional, eventually, the Defense of Marriage Act (signed by Bill Clinton). Since he knows those things, he must suredly know that once the Supreme Court affirms these anti-marriage court usurpations of the people's perogatives that it will be too late, politically, to amend the constitution to protect marriage. See Roe v. Wade as an example. McCain may be a war hero, but he sure lacks political courage.
"The Republican leadership is asking us to spend time writing bigotry into the Constitution," said Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, which legalized gay marriage in 2003. "A vote for it is a vote against civil unions, against domestic partnership, against all other efforts for states to treat gays and lesbians fairly under the law."Good job, AP. Massachusetts didn't legal gay marriage. Its court overruled state marriage laws and ordered the state to give gay couples marriage licenses. That's not democracy. That is a court that is out of control - a liberal court making policy decisions and constitutionalizing its policy preferences, ignoring the will of the people of its state. Elitism run amok.
A constitutional amendment protecting marriage from courts like that is required to preempt the usurpation of policy making power by judges not responsive to the people. 48 Senators don't think that is a worthy goal. PROTECTING THE FAMILY BY PROTECTING MARRIAGE IS NOT WORTHY OF FEDERAL ACTION. We here you loud and clear, Senator McCain. Don't bother asking for my vote ever, you don't have a chance.
