Thursday, March 18, 2004
Wash. Trial Starting for Lesbian Minister
BOTHELL, Wash. - Dozens of demonstrators were arrested Wednesday as they tried to stop a church trial that could remove a lesbian from the Methodist ministry for living openly in a lesbian relationship.
The Rev. Karen Dammann last week married her partner of nine years, Meredith Savage, in Portland, Ore., where Multnomah County officials have begun allowing same-sex marriages. The couple have a 5-year-old son.
United Methodist officials have said the trial is the first against a homosexual pastor in the denomination since 1987, when the credentials of the Rev. Rose Mary Denman of New Hampshire were revoked.
At Dammann's request, the trial in Bothell United Methodist Church northeast of Seattle was to be open to the public after jurors were chosen. She entered the church without commenting to reporters.
Dammann pleaded not guilty, and in an opening statement to the jurors, her church counsel, the Rev. Bob Ward, compared the struggle of gays and lesbians to the struggle that women and minorities had in gaining rights.
The difference, he said, is that "with gays and lesbians, they are encouraged to hide, as we have adopted a policy of 'don't ask, don't tell.'"
He said homosexuals are relegated to a life of "hiding and lying."
"Karen has chosen not to live the lie," Ward said.
But the Rev. James Finkbeiner, representing the church, called on the jury to find Dammann guilty of the charge of being a self-avowed, practicing homosexual. He told jurors that because Dammann disclosed her homosexuality to the bishop as well as to the entire church, that is all the proof they need to find her guilty.
The trial was to continue Thursday. If nine of the 13 clergy members on the jury convict her, the panel will vote on a punishment that could include loss of ministry. If Dammann is acquitted, she will be considered in good standing and be available for new assignments.
Outside, about 100 people demonstrated loudly but peacefully, and many blocked church officials from entering the building. Police arrested 33 people when they refused to move.
The demonstrators included members of Soulforce, an interfaith organization that supports gay rights. A handful of people protesting homosexuality stood and held signs in the church driveway.
Soulforce member Karen Weldin said the organization came to the church "to speak and give people the chance to stop this evil trial."
Dammann, on leave as pastor of First United Methodist Church in Ellensburg, 95 miles east of Seattle, is charged with "practices declared by the United Methodist Church to be incompatible to Christian teachings."
Although the church's social principles support rights and liberties for homosexuals, church law prohibits "self-avowed practicing homosexuals" from being ordained.
"Clearly the jury has to look at this prohibition and decide if it's consistent with the rest of our Methodist rules and with the Bible," said Lindsay Thompson, Dammann's lawyer. "There are people who passionately believe both sides of that issue."
Dammann did not return several calls seeking comment. After her marriage, however, she told The Seattle Times she wanted to move the culture toward open acceptance of gay and lesbian relationships.
"We wanted to add our relationship to all the others that stand to be recognized," she told the newspaper.
The United Methodist clergy of the Pacific Northwest Conference voted to retain Dammann, but the Judicial Council of the Nashville, Tenn.-based denomination reversed that decision last fall.
The council said it was "an egregious error" not to pursue charges.
During 18 months of investigative committee hearings that ended in January, Dammann said her relationship includes sexual contact.
"We accept the gift of sexuality as God-given and holy," she said, according to defense papers.
Since the late 1980s, Pacific Northwest church leaders have petitioned to ease policies on homosexuality at each of the denomination's General Conferences, held every four years. During past international General Conferences, most attendees have opposed change.
BOTHELL, Wash. - Dozens of demonstrators were arrested Wednesday as they tried to stop a church trial that could remove a lesbian from the Methodist ministry for living openly in a lesbian relationship.
The Rev. Karen Dammann last week married her partner of nine years, Meredith Savage, in Portland, Ore., where Multnomah County officials have begun allowing same-sex marriages. The couple have a 5-year-old son.
United Methodist officials have said the trial is the first against a homosexual pastor in the denomination since 1987, when the credentials of the Rev. Rose Mary Denman of New Hampshire were revoked.
At Dammann's request, the trial in Bothell United Methodist Church northeast of Seattle was to be open to the public after jurors were chosen. She entered the church without commenting to reporters.
Dammann pleaded not guilty, and in an opening statement to the jurors, her church counsel, the Rev. Bob Ward, compared the struggle of gays and lesbians to the struggle that women and minorities had in gaining rights.
The difference, he said, is that "with gays and lesbians, they are encouraged to hide, as we have adopted a policy of 'don't ask, don't tell.'"
He said homosexuals are relegated to a life of "hiding and lying."
"Karen has chosen not to live the lie," Ward said.
But the Rev. James Finkbeiner, representing the church, called on the jury to find Dammann guilty of the charge of being a self-avowed, practicing homosexual. He told jurors that because Dammann disclosed her homosexuality to the bishop as well as to the entire church, that is all the proof they need to find her guilty.
The trial was to continue Thursday. If nine of the 13 clergy members on the jury convict her, the panel will vote on a punishment that could include loss of ministry. If Dammann is acquitted, she will be considered in good standing and be available for new assignments.
Outside, about 100 people demonstrated loudly but peacefully, and many blocked church officials from entering the building. Police arrested 33 people when they refused to move.
The demonstrators included members of Soulforce, an interfaith organization that supports gay rights. A handful of people protesting homosexuality stood and held signs in the church driveway.
Soulforce member Karen Weldin said the organization came to the church "to speak and give people the chance to stop this evil trial."
Dammann, on leave as pastor of First United Methodist Church in Ellensburg, 95 miles east of Seattle, is charged with "practices declared by the United Methodist Church to be incompatible to Christian teachings."
Although the church's social principles support rights and liberties for homosexuals, church law prohibits "self-avowed practicing homosexuals" from being ordained.
"Clearly the jury has to look at this prohibition and decide if it's consistent with the rest of our Methodist rules and with the Bible," said Lindsay Thompson, Dammann's lawyer. "There are people who passionately believe both sides of that issue."
Dammann did not return several calls seeking comment. After her marriage, however, she told The Seattle Times she wanted to move the culture toward open acceptance of gay and lesbian relationships.
"We wanted to add our relationship to all the others that stand to be recognized," she told the newspaper.
The United Methodist clergy of the Pacific Northwest Conference voted to retain Dammann, but the Judicial Council of the Nashville, Tenn.-based denomination reversed that decision last fall.
The council said it was "an egregious error" not to pursue charges.
During 18 months of investigative committee hearings that ended in January, Dammann said her relationship includes sexual contact.
"We accept the gift of sexuality as God-given and holy," she said, according to defense papers.
Since the late 1980s, Pacific Northwest church leaders have petitioned to ease policies on homosexuality at each of the denomination's General Conferences, held every four years. During past international General Conferences, most attendees have opposed change.
Thursday, March 11, 2004
Dell Expands Relationship With VMware
Dell began revealing its plans for the enterprise virtualization market, disclosing an expanded partnership with VMware Inc.
Dell will use VMware software to enable single physical servers to act as two or more separate or "virtual" systems. The platform will be deployed on Dell two- and four-processor servers.
As rivals such as Hewlett-Packard, IBM, and Sun Microsystems have increasingly aligned their business around adaptive- or virtual-computing strategies, Dell until now hadn't joined in the snowballing trend.
Pete Morowski, VP of software development for Dell's product group, said during a teleconference Monday that the company is "entering the virtualization market--as part of an answer in what we call our scalable enterprise portfolio."
The partnership with VMware will enable Dell to expand on its strategy of creating two- and four-processor server offerings that can scale up to meet performance demands of customers, as opposed to solutions by competitors that are geared to scaling up to higher performance with associated higher cost.
The move is also in line with Dell's longstanding tradition of partnering with third-party providers for its support services.
VMware VMotion technology will let users dynamically move applications to different physical servers based on business needs, such as peaks from end-of-the-month reporting or holiday Web traffic, Morowski says.
The Dell-VMware virtual infrastructure configurations, tested and supported by Dell, include its PowerEdge 6650 servers running VMware ESX Server 2.0.1, Virtual Center, and VMotion; the Dell/EMC CX300 and CX500 storage systems to enable VMotion capability; and a single PowerEdge 1750 running the VMware Virtual Center Management Server.
The configurations are available now; pricing starts at $30,579.
Dell began revealing its plans for the enterprise virtualization market, disclosing an expanded partnership with VMware Inc.
Dell will use VMware software to enable single physical servers to act as two or more separate or "virtual" systems. The platform will be deployed on Dell two- and four-processor servers.
As rivals such as Hewlett-Packard, IBM, and Sun Microsystems have increasingly aligned their business around adaptive- or virtual-computing strategies, Dell until now hadn't joined in the snowballing trend.
Pete Morowski, VP of software development for Dell's product group, said during a teleconference Monday that the company is "entering the virtualization market--as part of an answer in what we call our scalable enterprise portfolio."
The partnership with VMware will enable Dell to expand on its strategy of creating two- and four-processor server offerings that can scale up to meet performance demands of customers, as opposed to solutions by competitors that are geared to scaling up to higher performance with associated higher cost.
The move is also in line with Dell's longstanding tradition of partnering with third-party providers for its support services.
VMware VMotion technology will let users dynamically move applications to different physical servers based on business needs, such as peaks from end-of-the-month reporting or holiday Web traffic, Morowski says.
The Dell-VMware virtual infrastructure configurations, tested and supported by Dell, include its PowerEdge 6650 servers running VMware ESX Server 2.0.1, Virtual Center, and VMotion; the Dell/EMC CX300 and CX500 storage systems to enable VMotion capability; and a single PowerEdge 1750 running the VMware Virtual Center Management Server.
The configurations are available now; pricing starts at $30,579.
Wednesday, March 03, 2004
Storm Connotes Jeter, A-Rod Relationship
TAMPA, Fla. - Even for people who forecast a stormy relationship between Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter, this picture was just too perfect.
All smiles, Rodriguez was relaxing after his first full workout with the New York Yankees. Surrounded by All-Star players and adoring fans, it had been a wonderful day.
That's when Jeter joined him Tuesday at a picnic area right outside Legends Field to answer questions from reporters. And within a minute or so of them sitting together, the fair skies suddenly turned foul, the wind whipped and a wicked rain started to fall.
Coincidence or correlation? Who knows?
"I'm sure you'll make it a good story," Jeter said.
Oh, add this to the mix: It had been pretty sunny in this part of Florida for quite a while.
"We're all agreeing that this is the most severe weather we've had this winter," said Ron Morales of the Tampa Bay-area National Weather Service. "This just blew in."
So on a day full of events — George Steinbrenner referred to Red Sox owner John Henry as "the Scarecrow," manager Joe Torre had to leave because his father-in-law broke his wrist in a fall and the Yankees reached agreement with free agent Travis Lee — the symbolism was startling.
Thankfully for Jeter and Rodriguez, they were sitting under a tent when the storm hit. They quickly broke off the press session and dashed 25 yards through the rain to make it back inside the ballpark.
Talk of the Jeter-Rodriguez relationship had been in the news for a few days, with both players doing their best to say a rift back in 2001 was behind them. They sure looked fine during the first practice for position players.
Before warming up, Rodriguez tossed one of his two gloves to Jeter for inspection. They played catch together, then Jeter went to shortstop and Rodriguez took his new position at third base.
Later, Jeter hit a grounder to the left of Rodriguez, and the ball skipped off his mitt. About 2,500 fans watched — that's more than some teams draw for their exhibition games.
"That's the largest crowd I've ever practiced in front of at spring training, and this is my 10th year," Rodriguez said. "Yankee Nation follows you around."
Rodriguez went through a pair of workouts at the minor league complex last weekend, but minus the likes of Jason Giambi, Gary Sheffield and Jeter. This time, all the big names were present.
"I just enjoyed being out there for the first time," Rodriguez said. "I often ask myself, 'Where are we?'"
While Rodriguez, a two-time Gold Glove shortstop, gets accustomed to playing third, Jeter will spend a month getting familiar with the new guy over on his right.
How'd it go on the first day?
"It's awkward," Jeter said. "It's going to be awkward for a while."
Not that Yankees rooters seemed to mind. In what fast turned into baseball's version of American Idol, fans took turns shouting each time Jeter and Rodriguez batted.
On the whole, Jeter seemed to get more support. He did from the three women baring midriffs, shrieking from the front row behind the backstop. Two of them pointed disposable cameras while the other did play-by-play on her cell phone.
"Jeter is hot, but Alex is hotter," said Tania Trentacoste, 18.
"But Alex is married," said Kim Tozzo, 20.
"We saw Derek at a club. I had to touch his limo," said Tina Curtis, 18.
Steinbrenner, meanwhile, cautioned against too much Jeter-Rodriguez buildup.
"I wish you guys would have left them alone and let them play," he said. "You're making too much out of it."
Steinbrenner was more playful when it came to the rival Boston Red Sox and their owner. After a recent spat developed, Henry said he was amused by Steinbrenner's remarks and likened the Boss to Don Rickles.
A fan of "The Wizard of Oz," Steinbrenner has now taken to calling Henry "the Scarecrow" and "the strawman." Just joking, of course.
All in all, just another day in Yankeeland.
"I don't think anything ever surprises me," Jeter said.
TAMPA, Fla. - Even for people who forecast a stormy relationship between Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter, this picture was just too perfect.
All smiles, Rodriguez was relaxing after his first full workout with the New York Yankees. Surrounded by All-Star players and adoring fans, it had been a wonderful day.
That's when Jeter joined him Tuesday at a picnic area right outside Legends Field to answer questions from reporters. And within a minute or so of them sitting together, the fair skies suddenly turned foul, the wind whipped and a wicked rain started to fall.
Coincidence or correlation? Who knows?
"I'm sure you'll make it a good story," Jeter said.
Oh, add this to the mix: It had been pretty sunny in this part of Florida for quite a while.
"We're all agreeing that this is the most severe weather we've had this winter," said Ron Morales of the Tampa Bay-area National Weather Service. "This just blew in."
So on a day full of events — George Steinbrenner referred to Red Sox owner John Henry as "the Scarecrow," manager Joe Torre had to leave because his father-in-law broke his wrist in a fall and the Yankees reached agreement with free agent Travis Lee — the symbolism was startling.
Thankfully for Jeter and Rodriguez, they were sitting under a tent when the storm hit. They quickly broke off the press session and dashed 25 yards through the rain to make it back inside the ballpark.
Talk of the Jeter-Rodriguez relationship had been in the news for a few days, with both players doing their best to say a rift back in 2001 was behind them. They sure looked fine during the first practice for position players.
Before warming up, Rodriguez tossed one of his two gloves to Jeter for inspection. They played catch together, then Jeter went to shortstop and Rodriguez took his new position at third base.
Later, Jeter hit a grounder to the left of Rodriguez, and the ball skipped off his mitt. About 2,500 fans watched — that's more than some teams draw for their exhibition games.
"That's the largest crowd I've ever practiced in front of at spring training, and this is my 10th year," Rodriguez said. "Yankee Nation follows you around."
Rodriguez went through a pair of workouts at the minor league complex last weekend, but minus the likes of Jason Giambi, Gary Sheffield and Jeter. This time, all the big names were present.
"I just enjoyed being out there for the first time," Rodriguez said. "I often ask myself, 'Where are we?'"
While Rodriguez, a two-time Gold Glove shortstop, gets accustomed to playing third, Jeter will spend a month getting familiar with the new guy over on his right.
How'd it go on the first day?
"It's awkward," Jeter said. "It's going to be awkward for a while."
Not that Yankees rooters seemed to mind. In what fast turned into baseball's version of American Idol, fans took turns shouting each time Jeter and Rodriguez batted.
On the whole, Jeter seemed to get more support. He did from the three women baring midriffs, shrieking from the front row behind the backstop. Two of them pointed disposable cameras while the other did play-by-play on her cell phone.
"Jeter is hot, but Alex is hotter," said Tania Trentacoste, 18.
"But Alex is married," said Kim Tozzo, 20.
"We saw Derek at a club. I had to touch his limo," said Tina Curtis, 18.
Steinbrenner, meanwhile, cautioned against too much Jeter-Rodriguez buildup.
"I wish you guys would have left them alone and let them play," he said. "You're making too much out of it."
Steinbrenner was more playful when it came to the rival Boston Red Sox and their owner. After a recent spat developed, Henry said he was amused by Steinbrenner's remarks and likened the Boss to Don Rickles.
A fan of "The Wizard of Oz," Steinbrenner has now taken to calling Henry "the Scarecrow" and "the strawman." Just joking, of course.
All in all, just another day in Yankeeland.
"I don't think anything ever surprises me," Jeter said.
Thursday, February 26, 2004
Marriage amendment: Will it help or hurt Bush?
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- After President Bush said he would support a constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage, opponents were saying on Wednesday that the move will cost him dearly with voters, while supporters said the decision helps fire up his conservative base.
"I think it will actually encourage his base to know for sure that our president stands for the definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman," Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, R-Colorado, told CNN's "American Morning."
Musgrave has submitted an amendment to ban same-sex marriage, but it is not clear if it, or any similar amendment, will be able to win the necessary two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress for it to be sent to states for ratification.
Railing against Gavin Newsom, whom she called "a rogue mayor in San Francisco," for ordering the issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex couples, Musgrave called Bush's action "an encouragement to people who believe in the traditional definition of marriage." (California high court may get same-sex marriage)
"I don't think he's going to lose votes. I think he's going to gain votes. I think the conservatives sometimes get disillusioned and decide to stay home, and feel like it doesn't really make any difference. But I think they are going to be encouraged to come out and vote," she said.
But more moderate Republicans and independents may respond very differently, leaders of two gay political organizations told CNN.
Patrick Guerriero, executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans, told "American Morning," "This is a dramatically bad step for the president. He might get a little bump in the polls for a few days, but we all remember in 1992 when Pat Buchanan declared a cultural war on the country and it led to the defeat of the first President Bush. This is not a way to win an election -- it's a way to divide the American family."
He added, "We can't sugarcoat this. This amendment was written by the radical right in an attempt to make sure gay and lesbian families who want tax fairness won't get it."
Numerous polls show that while the majority of Americans oppose gay marriage, they are split over whether to support an amendment.
Candace Gingrich, with the Human Rights Campaign, the largest gay and lesbian political organization, said Wednesday that Bush is trying to draw attention away from focus on "the falling poll numbers, on the deficit and the lack of jobs that have been produced."
"In addition to those one million gay Republicans reported to have voted for Bush, we are talking about their friends and family members who care about this issue. And also that 1 million people is an important number when you consider that President Bush lost the popular vote in 2000."
Bush received about 543,000 fewer votes in the 2000 presidential election than Democrat Al Gore.
Bush's announcement Tuesday, which the White House said followed a good deal of serious reflection, contradicts Bush's own statement four years ago that states should be left to "do what they want to do" regarding same-sex marriage.
Asked repeatedly what had changed Bush's mind, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said only, "His views have always been well known on this very issue."
It was during a CNN Republican primary debate that year in South Carolina that he was asked about gay marriage. Bush said he would "stand up and say I don't support gay marriage."
CNN's Larry King asked, "If a state were voting on gay marriage, you would suggest to that state not to approve it?"
"The state can do what they want to do," Bush responded.
Although he took no questions Tuesday, and the White House did not explain the statement from 2000, Bush emphasized in his announcement that moves by several justices in Massachusetts, Newsom in San Francisco, and officials in a county in New Mexico "created confusion on an issue that requires clarity."
"The union of a man and a woman is the most enduring human institution, honored and encouraged in all cultures and by every religious faith," he said, adding that the nation must "prevent the meaning of marriage from being changed forever."
Bush also said an amendment should leave "state legislatures free to make their own choices in defining arrangements other than marriage" -- language that could leave the door open to civil unions, which could allow same-sex couples some or all of the legal rights of marriage.
As governor of Texas, Bush opposed civil unions for same-sex couples.
Amending the U.S. Constitution is difficult, requiring a two-thirds majority each in the House and Senate and ratification by three-fourths, or 38, of the 50 states. Besides the Bill of Rights, the Constitution has been amended only 17 times in 215 years, most recently in 1992.
John Feehery, a spokesman for Speaker Dennis Hastert of Illinois, said House Republican leaders would be hard-pressed to round up the 291 votes needed to pass an amendment.
Amy Call, a spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee, said the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on the measure next week. Asked if it has the 67 votes needed to pass the Senate, she said, "It'll be close."
Cheney comments
Vice President Dick Cheney's stance has also been called into question.
He recently has said he would support Bush's decision on the matter.
But at a vice presidential debate in 2000, Cheney was asked, "Should a male who loves a male and a female who loves a female have all the constitutional rights enjoyed by every American citizen?"
Cheney responded, "People should be free to enter into any kind of relationship they want to enter into. It's really no one else's business, in terms of trying to regulate or prohibit behavior in that regard."
He added, "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. I try to be open-minded about it as much as I can and tolerant of those relationships. ... (I) wrestle with the extent of which there ought to be legal sanction of those relationships. I think we ought to do everything we can to tolerate and accommodate whatever kind of relationships people want to enter into."
Cheney's office says that like Bush, the vice president is concerned that the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act -- which defined marriage as the union of a man and a woman -- is under attack because of actions by officials in certain states.
Cheney, whose daughter is a lesbian and well-known figure in the Colorado gay community, was quoted in two Colorado newspapers as saying that he would support Bush's decision on an amendment no matter what it was.
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- After President Bush said he would support a constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage, opponents were saying on Wednesday that the move will cost him dearly with voters, while supporters said the decision helps fire up his conservative base.
"I think it will actually encourage his base to know for sure that our president stands for the definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman," Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, R-Colorado, told CNN's "American Morning."
Musgrave has submitted an amendment to ban same-sex marriage, but it is not clear if it, or any similar amendment, will be able to win the necessary two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress for it to be sent to states for ratification.
Railing against Gavin Newsom, whom she called "a rogue mayor in San Francisco," for ordering the issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex couples, Musgrave called Bush's action "an encouragement to people who believe in the traditional definition of marriage." (California high court may get same-sex marriage)
"I don't think he's going to lose votes. I think he's going to gain votes. I think the conservatives sometimes get disillusioned and decide to stay home, and feel like it doesn't really make any difference. But I think they are going to be encouraged to come out and vote," she said.
But more moderate Republicans and independents may respond very differently, leaders of two gay political organizations told CNN.
Patrick Guerriero, executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans, told "American Morning," "This is a dramatically bad step for the president. He might get a little bump in the polls for a few days, but we all remember in 1992 when Pat Buchanan declared a cultural war on the country and it led to the defeat of the first President Bush. This is not a way to win an election -- it's a way to divide the American family."
He added, "We can't sugarcoat this. This amendment was written by the radical right in an attempt to make sure gay and lesbian families who want tax fairness won't get it."
Numerous polls show that while the majority of Americans oppose gay marriage, they are split over whether to support an amendment.
Candace Gingrich, with the Human Rights Campaign, the largest gay and lesbian political organization, said Wednesday that Bush is trying to draw attention away from focus on "the falling poll numbers, on the deficit and the lack of jobs that have been produced."
"In addition to those one million gay Republicans reported to have voted for Bush, we are talking about their friends and family members who care about this issue. And also that 1 million people is an important number when you consider that President Bush lost the popular vote in 2000."
Bush received about 543,000 fewer votes in the 2000 presidential election than Democrat Al Gore.
Bush's announcement Tuesday, which the White House said followed a good deal of serious reflection, contradicts Bush's own statement four years ago that states should be left to "do what they want to do" regarding same-sex marriage.
Asked repeatedly what had changed Bush's mind, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said only, "His views have always been well known on this very issue."
It was during a CNN Republican primary debate that year in South Carolina that he was asked about gay marriage. Bush said he would "stand up and say I don't support gay marriage."
CNN's Larry King asked, "If a state were voting on gay marriage, you would suggest to that state not to approve it?"
"The state can do what they want to do," Bush responded.
Although he took no questions Tuesday, and the White House did not explain the statement from 2000, Bush emphasized in his announcement that moves by several justices in Massachusetts, Newsom in San Francisco, and officials in a county in New Mexico "created confusion on an issue that requires clarity."
"The union of a man and a woman is the most enduring human institution, honored and encouraged in all cultures and by every religious faith," he said, adding that the nation must "prevent the meaning of marriage from being changed forever."
Bush also said an amendment should leave "state legislatures free to make their own choices in defining arrangements other than marriage" -- language that could leave the door open to civil unions, which could allow same-sex couples some or all of the legal rights of marriage.
As governor of Texas, Bush opposed civil unions for same-sex couples.
Amending the U.S. Constitution is difficult, requiring a two-thirds majority each in the House and Senate and ratification by three-fourths, or 38, of the 50 states. Besides the Bill of Rights, the Constitution has been amended only 17 times in 215 years, most recently in 1992.
John Feehery, a spokesman for Speaker Dennis Hastert of Illinois, said House Republican leaders would be hard-pressed to round up the 291 votes needed to pass an amendment.
Amy Call, a spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee, said the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on the measure next week. Asked if it has the 67 votes needed to pass the Senate, she said, "It'll be close."
Cheney comments
Vice President Dick Cheney's stance has also been called into question.
He recently has said he would support Bush's decision on the matter.
But at a vice presidential debate in 2000, Cheney was asked, "Should a male who loves a male and a female who loves a female have all the constitutional rights enjoyed by every American citizen?"
Cheney responded, "People should be free to enter into any kind of relationship they want to enter into. It's really no one else's business, in terms of trying to regulate or prohibit behavior in that regard."
He added, "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. I try to be open-minded about it as much as I can and tolerant of those relationships. ... (I) wrestle with the extent of which there ought to be legal sanction of those relationships. I think we ought to do everything we can to tolerate and accommodate whatever kind of relationships people want to enter into."
Cheney's office says that like Bush, the vice president is concerned that the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act -- which defined marriage as the union of a man and a woman -- is under attack because of actions by officials in certain states.
Cheney, whose daughter is a lesbian and well-known figure in the Colorado gay community, was quoted in two Colorado newspapers as saying that he would support Bush's decision on an amendment no matter what it was.
