FALSE PRETENSES OF BUSH'S GAY MARRIAGE REVERSAL

In announcing his support for a constitutional amendment banning gay
marriage last week, President Bush said he was reversing his previous
position on the issue because various states and courts had forced him to
act. He cited recent actions to legalize gay marriage in Massachusetts, New
Mexico and San Francisco as the specific impetuses for his action. However,
according to the president's closest congressional ally on the gay marriage
issue, this explanation is false -- the president made his decision months
ago and well before actions by the states and courts.

Specifically, the Denver Rocky Mountain News reports that, while "the White
House said President Bush made his decision only after officials in San
Francisco and New Mexico presided over same-sex marriages," Bush actually
"pledged to Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-CO) that he would support her proposed
constitutional amendment prohibiting gay marriage three months before" his
public announcement last week. The revelation is corroborated by the San
Francisco Chronicle, which noted almost three months before last week's
announcement that "the White House indicated Bush is considering"
supporting
the constitutional amendment. By contrast, the Massachusetts court ruled on
February 6th, San Francisco moved on February 11th, and New Mexico acted on
February 20th.

While the new revelations show that the president's announcement was made
under false pretenses, an analysis of the president and Vice President's
past statements show that they were also misleading America four years ago
in presenting a wholly different position on the gay marriage issue. On
February 15, 2000, Bush said, "The state[s] can do what they want to" on
issues surrounding gay marriage, and he reiterated this position on May 2,
2000, saying it is "going to be up for cities and states to make those
decisions." Similarly, Vice President Cheney said on October 5, 2000, "I
think the fact of the matter, of course, is [same-sex marriage] 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."

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