Democrats ready to vote on marriage

Senate Democrats decided their strategy late yesterday on the federal marriage amendment, saying they would not block or delay the measure and would agree to a direct vote on it next week.

“We’re ready to rock and roll,” Senate Democratic Whip Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, said in a late-afternoon statement on the Senate floor. “Procedurally … we’re not going to be in the way.”

Many Republicans don’t like the amendment and don’t want to vote on it, Senate Democratic aides said.

While most of these Republicans likely would have stood with their Republican leaders against Democratic efforts to block the bill, the aides said, a direct vote on the amendment is a different ballgame and will likely result in more Republicans going against their leaders and joining Democrats to oppose the measure.

“There was a feeling that it would be better to have some of these Republicans on record against it,” one aide said.

The Senate began yesterday to debate the constitutional amendment, which is sponsored by Sen. Wayne Allard, Colorado Republican, and would prevent same-sex “marriage” by defining the institution as the union of a man and woman.

It requires 67 votes to pass the Senate, and both sides concede that the threshold won’t be met, but proponents say it is time for senators to go on the record. House Republican leaders have said they will take a vote on the same amendment in the fall.

President Bush was asked about the issue yesterday and reiterated publicly for the first time in months his support for a constitutional amendment to protect traditional marriage.

“I believe in the sanctity of marriage,” Mr. Bush said. “History has shown us that marriage between men and women has served society well, and any redefinition by itself will weaken marriage.”

Mr. Bush, however, added that one should “take a deep breath” before debating the definition of marriage so it is done “with the ultimate of respect.”

“What they do in the privacy of their house, consenting adults should be able to do,” Mr. Bush said. “This is America. It’s a free society, but it doesn’t mean we have to redefine traditional marriage.”

Democratic challenger Sen. John Kerry has said he is opposed to the amendment. It wasn’t immediately clear whether Mr. Kerry and his running mate, Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, would return to Washington for the vote, which will likely be on Wednesday.

In the Senate meanwhile, Republican leaders and outside groups had been operating under the assumption that Democrats were going to try to block the bill and Republicans would have to muster 60 votes for a procedural motion to stop them from doing so.

Mr. Reid said Democrats were leaning toward blocking it as of Thursday, but now they will agree to a final vote on the Allard amendment — without any changes — next week.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, Tennessee Republican, said he would have to talk to Mr. Allard and other key Republicans over the weekend to get their approval of the Democrats’ offer. He said personally he believes a direct vote “is the cleanest way,” and makes the issue “clear to the American people.”

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