Bush backs a marriage amendment

Gary Bauer, a social conservative activist who heads the group American Values, welcomed the president's announcement, and asserted that polling data show "the more this is debated, the less support same-sex marriage has."

"We think with the president's leadership, a constitutional amendment will be very possible," Mr. Bauer says. He foresees a vote in Congress by early summer, then a quick move in the states to ratify. "If the vote fails, I think you'll see a number of people lose their seats [in Congress]."

The president had resisted fully endorsing the idea of a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. In his State of the Union address in January, he mentioned the issue, but did not offer explicit support for an amendment. Now he has cast his lot fully with his social conservative base and may jeopardize the support of some socially liberal Republicans - such as the group called the Log Cabin Republicans - who would have preferred the president take a less absolute position.

"We're seeing a reinvigoration of the culture wars of the '80s, and Bush is trying in many ways to outdo Reagan," says David O'Brien, a government professor at the University of Virginia. "This issue is going to polarize the country more."

In signaling private support in the past for the Musgrave language - which would allow for civil unions and domestic partnership laws at the state level, as a way to make the amendment more palatable to some members of Congress - Bush has left some wiggle room to show tolerance toward gays and toward the right of states to make their own laws. He has asserted that states should be able to "define other arrangements" for such partnerships.

Kerry also opposes gay marriage but supports civil unions. And perhaps more significant for the White House's effort to appear tolerant and keep the gay support that it does have, Vice President Cheney supports civil unions. One of his daughters is openly gay.

Bush's announcement on a gay marriage amendment comes on the heels of his most overtly political speech of the campaign season. On Monday night, the president took on his likely opponent, Kerry - though not by name - in an address to the Republican Governors Association.

As Bush's job-approval ratings have steadily declined over the past two months, into the danger zone of below 50 percent in most national polls, his supporters have agitated for him to join the fight earlier than expected. His campaign will start airing ads on March 4, instead of in the spring, as previously promised.

Without naming the Massachusetts senator by name, Bush asserted Monday that his likely Democratic opponent would raise taxes, damage the economic recovery, and jeopardize national security. Bush accused the Democratic field of both favoring tax cuts and opposing them, favoring the North American Free Trade Agreement and opposing it, favoring liberating Iraq and opposing it.

"And that's just one senator from Massachusetts," Bush quipped.

• Noel C. Paul and Alexandra Marks contributed to this report.

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