Bush to come out
in favor of Federal Marriage Amendment

President Bush is expected to hold a press conference next week to announce his support for the Federal Marriage Amendment. According to the conservative Weekly Standard magazine, the president will appear in the Rose Garden on Monday to reiterate his support for the amendment a day before the U.S. Senate is expected to vote on the measure. The proposed amendment, which would ban same-sex marriages and nullify those that already exist, is not expected to garner the necessary two-thirds support it needs to move forward. But it is expected to receive more support than it did in the Senate two years ago, when it failed after garnering only 48 votes. Although Bush spoke out in support of the amendment in 2004 during his reelection campaign, he now faces opposition from within his own White House. First lady Laura Bush said earlier this month that the issue should not be used as an election tool, and Mary Cheney, the lesbian daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney, also said she opposes the ban. Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese called Bush's forthcoming endorsement a "national disgrace" and said it will further divide the country. (Sirius OutQ News)