Bush 'disappointed' by gay marriage ban's defeat
Foes of Senate amendment decry 'political tool'
http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/07/15/samesex.marriage/index.htmlWASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush says he is "disappointed" that a move to effectively ban same-sex marriage was "temporarily blocked" in the Senate, and he is urging the House to take up the matter.
"Activist judges and local officials in some parts of the country are not letting up in their efforts to redefine marriage for the rest of America, and neither should defenders of traditional marriage flag in their efforts," Bush said in a statement.
"It is important for our country to continue the debate on this important issue, and I urge the House of Representatives to pass this amendment."
"Today, we saw President Bush and the Republican leadership attempt to divide America and it backfired, instead dividing their own party," said Cheryl Jacques, president of the Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights organization. "We saw the politics of distraction fail and fail handily."