Senate blocks Bush move to ban same-sex marriage

WASHINGTON – President George W. Bush on Wednesday failed in his attempt to amend the Constitution to ban same-sex marriage when a divided US Senate blocked the measure, virtually killing it for at least this election year.

On a 48-to-50 vote, six Republican broke ranks as proponents of a proposed amendment fell 12 votes short of the needed 60 to end a Democratic procedural hurdle. White House hopeful John Kerry and fellow Senate Democrats accused Republicans of pushing the proposal merely to rally their conservative base for the November presidential and congressional elections.Democrats also charged that four days of Senate debate on it could have been better spent on such issues as health care and national security.”The floor of the United States Senate should only be used for the common good, not issues designed to divide us for political purposes,” Kerry said in a statement.Bush expressed regret that the Republican-led Senate blocked the proposal, which would define marriage as a union strictly between a man and a woman, and urged the Republican-led House of Representatives to pass it.”It is important for our country to continue the debate on this important issue,” he said.But the House is also expected to fall far short of the needed votes when it takes up the measure, likely in September.For a proposed constitutional amendment to become law, it must be approved by two-thirds of the House and Senate and then ratified by 38 of the 50 states.Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican, rejected complaints that the proposal is discriminatory, saying, “Gays have a right to live the way they want.””But they should not have the right to change the definition of traditional marriage.That is where we draw the line,” he added.Polls show most Americans oppose same-sex marriage, but are split on whether a constitutional ban is needed.Surveys also find voters believe many other issues are more important.Kerry and his vice presidential running mate, Sen.John Edwards of North Carolina, oppose same-sex marriage, but argue amending the Constitution is not the answer.Like most Democratic lawmakers, they say states should have the power to define marriage.- Nampa-ReutersWhite House hopeful John Kerry and fellow Senate Democrats accused Republicans of pushing the proposal merely to rally their conservative base for the November presidential and congressional elections.Democrats also charged that four days of Senate debate on it could have been better spent on such issues as health care and national security.”The floor of the United States Senate should only be used for the common good, not issues designed to divide us for political purposes,” Kerry said in a statement.Bush expressed regret that the Republican-led Senate blocked the proposal, which would define marriage as a union strictly between a man and a woman, and urged the Republican-led House of Representatives to pass it.”It is important for our country to continue the debate on this important issue,” he said.But the House is also expected to fall far short of the needed votes when it takes up the measure, likely in September.For a proposed constitutional amendment to become law, it must be approved by two-thirds of the House and Senate and then ratified by 38 of the 50 states.Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican, rejected complaints that the proposal is discriminatory, saying, “Gays have a right to live the way they want.””But they should not have the right to change the definition of traditional marriage.That is where we draw the line,” he added.Polls show most Americans oppose same-sex marriage, but are split on whether a constitutional ban is needed.Surveys also find voters believe many other issues are more important.Kerry and his vice presidential running mate, Sen.John Edwards of North Carolina, oppose same-sex marriage, but argue amending the Constitution is not the answer.Like most Democratic lawmakers, they say states should have the power to define marriage.- Nampa-Reuters