Federal Marriage Amendment

LYNNE Cheney, wife of the vice president and mother of a gay daughter, got caught saying something compassionately conservative the other day: The states ought to continue to make their own rules about whether gays should be allowed to marry. Cheney apparently doesn't buy the notion that there's an immediate threat that demands an amendment to the U.S. Constitution and that it must be debated right now. It looks like a lot of senators agree with her. Conservative attempts to embarrass Democratic senators by demanding a vote on the Federal Marriage Amendment seem to have backfired.

Among the 20 senators and representatives from the Philadelphia region are leaders in the fight for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage - and some strong opponents. Other members of the delegation, when asked where they stood on the issue, seemed to struggle for the right words. Two - Democrat Robert A. Brady and Republican H. James Saxton - did not respond. The others' comments: Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D., Del.) said yesterday that he opposed a constitutional amendment as "not necessary.

With Election Day one week away, the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference issued a document yesterday reaffirming the Catholic Church's traditional view of marriage and its opposition to same-sex marriages and civil unions. Though the six-page document makes no direct reference to Tuesday's election, it notes the "challenges" to traditional marriage currently under consideration that could "alter the way we have always lived. " Marriage is the "lifelong covenant between a husband and wife" it says, calling this a "natural human reality" and the understanding "recognized . . . by all the major cultures of the world.

I attended the Council for National Policy meeting last week in New Orleans and listened to John McCain address the who's who of Hillary Rodham Clinton's vast right-wing conspiracy. It was another chance for McCain to, in his words, "not just unite, but reignite the base. " How did the crowd think he did? Let's just say it's hard to ignite anything with cold water and no fire. He talked about two legs of the Republican stool - spending/taxes and national security. But the third leg - social issues - went unmentioned.

In 1996, as a freshman member of the House of Representatives, I wrote the Defense of Marriage Act, better known by its acronym, DOMA. The law has been a flash-point for those arguing for or against same-sex marriage ever since President Bill Clinton signed it into law. Even President-elect Barack Obama has grappled with its language, meaning and impact. I can sympathize with the incoming commander-in-chief. And, after long and careful consideration, I have come to agree with him that the law should be repealed.

THE SENATE is likely to vote anytime now on the Federal Marriage Amendment. This amendment is supposed to protect the institution of marriage, and the marriages of all of us heterosexuals who are currently married or may marry in the future. How it is going to do this is a mystery to me. I guess if my life depended on it, I could find my marriage license, but even then it might take some serious doing. My best guess is that it is in my safe-deposit box. But if it isn't there, your guess is as good as mine as to where I've safely hidden it. All of which just goes to show that I haven't needed it for a long time, and for any reason that I can think of. My wife and I have bought a house, cars, gotten insurance, opened brokerage accounts, obtained passports, traveled abroad, checked into hotels and motels, filed joint tax returns - and never had to show it. On the other hand, I'm regularly asked to show my driver's license, and at times my passport.

House and Senate members from the Philadelphia area yesterday reacted with measured words to President Bush's endorsement of a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. At the same time, one senator and three House members were listed as cosponsors of the proposed measure, a highly controversial issue spiked by the passions of presidential politics. Sen. Rick Santorum (R., Pa.) is a fervent supporter of a constitutional amendment - he is listed as a cosponsor of the proposed Federal Marriage Amendment - while Sen. Arlen Specter (R., Pa.)

IWATCHED Gavin Newsom, outlaw-in-chief of San Francisco, on "Larry King Live. " With his slicked-back hair and silk tie, the 36-year-old mayor is the perfect model for "The Radical Left's Extreme Makeover. " Mayor Newsom looks a little like Ben Affleck and talks a lot like Bill Clinton. He's got a trophy wife with three names (ex-model Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom) and a five-point government plan for everything from renewable energy ("Expedite implementation of San Francisco's solar energy bond")

Conservatives are all for personal responsibility except, of course, when it comes to their own failures. And they're always in favor of less federal intervention until it comes to their most cherished institutions. Which is why marriage gets them coming and going. It's a double bind: a failure for which they refuse to take responsibility and a cherished institution for which they are seeking special federal protection. Hence what has been mentioned as a possible 28th amendment to the Constitution, the "federal marriage amendment.

In 1996, as a freshman member of the House of Representatives, I wrote the Defense of Marriage Act, better known by its acronym, DOMA. The law has been a flash-point for those arguing for or against same-sex marriage ever since President Bill Clinton signed it into law. Even President-elect Barack Obama has grappled with its language, meaning and impact. I can sympathize with the incoming commander-in-chief. And, after long and careful consideration, I have come to agree with him that the law should be repealed.

I attended the Council for National Policy meeting last week in New Orleans and listened to John McCain address the who's who of Hillary Rodham Clinton's vast right-wing conspiracy. It was another chance for McCain to, in his words, "not just unite, but reignite the base. " How did the crowd think he did? Let's just say it's hard to ignite anything with cold water and no fire. He talked about two legs of the Republican stool - spending/taxes and national security. But the third leg - social issues - went unmentioned.

THE SENATE is likely to vote anytime now on the Federal Marriage Amendment. This amendment is supposed to protect the institution of marriage, and the marriages of all of us heterosexuals who are currently married or may marry in the future. How it is going to do this is a mystery to me. I guess if my life depended on it, I could find my marriage license, but even then it might take some serious doing. My best guess is that it is in my safe-deposit box. But if it isn't there, your guess is as good as mine as to where I've safely hidden it. All of which just goes to show that I haven't needed it for a long time, and for any reason that I can think of. My wife and I have bought a house, cars, gotten insurance, opened brokerage accounts, obtained passports, traveled abroad, checked into hotels and motels, filed joint tax returns - and never had to show it. On the other hand, I'm regularly asked to show my driver's license, and at times my passport.

With Election Day one week away, the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference issued a document yesterday reaffirming the Catholic Church's traditional view of marriage and its opposition to same-sex marriages and civil unions. Though the six-page document makes no direct reference to Tuesday's election, it notes the "challenges" to traditional marriage currently under consideration that could "alter the way we have always lived. " Marriage is the "lifelong covenant between a husband and wife" it says, calling this a "natural human reality" and the understanding "recognized . . . by all the major cultures of the world.

MY FATHER died 20 years ago. He was a man of exceptional honesty and professional integrity, but the thing that I miss most is his unconditional acceptance. Love without strings is a rare thing. Mary Cheney has that. Our vice president reminds me of my own father with his sarcastic wit, his intolerance of fools, his brilliant mind and his resolve to fulfill all obligations to the best of his impressive abilities. Dick Cheney is also a maverick who isn't afraid to break with the administration and declare his opposition to a federal marriage amendment.

SEN. RICK Santorum said he's not a hater, he's a lover. A lover of traditional marriage. Which is why, as all lovers do, he was looking for the sweet spot. Or, more precisely, the exact words that would have imposed a federal definition of marriage on the states, thereby overriding 50 pesky state constitutions, legislatures and judiciaries. But, as many lovers discover, finding that sweet spot can be tricky. And while Santorum, Bill Frist and the Alliance for Marriage keep digging around, aiming for that little "Eureka!"

LYNNE Cheney, wife of the vice president and mother of a gay daughter, got caught saying something compassionately conservative the other day: The states ought to continue to make their own rules about whether gays should be allowed to marry. Cheney apparently doesn't buy the notion that there's an immediate threat that demands an amendment to the U.S. Constitution and that it must be debated right now. It looks like a lot of senators agree with her. Conservative attempts to embarrass Democratic senators by demanding a vote on the Federal Marriage Amendment seem to have backfired.

IWATCHED Gavin Newsom, outlaw-in-chief of San Francisco, on "Larry King Live. " With his slicked-back hair and silk tie, the 36-year-old mayor is the perfect model for "The Radical Left's Extreme Makeover. " Mayor Newsom looks a little like Ben Affleck and talks a lot like Bill Clinton. He's got a trophy wife with three names (ex-model Kimberly Guilfoyle Newsom) and a five-point government plan for everything from renewable energy ("Expedite implementation of San Francisco's solar energy bond")

Among the 20 senators and representatives from the Philadelphia region are leaders in the fight for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage - and some strong opponents. Other members of the delegation, when asked where they stood on the issue, seemed to struggle for the right words. Two - Democrat Robert A. Brady and Republican H. James Saxton - did not respond. The others' comments: Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D., Del.) said yesterday that he opposed a constitutional amendment as "not necessary.