Friction in Bush camp.............
Cheney's Marriage Remarks Irk
Conservatives
By MICHAEL COOPER
EDMOND, Ore., Oct. 9 —
Dick Cheney, the
Republican vice presidential
candidate, has come under sharp
criticism from conservatives in his
own party for comments he made
on gay marriage during last week's
debate with his Democratic rival,
Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman.
Asked at the debate last Thursday
in Danville, Ky., whether
homosexuals should have all the
constitutional rights enjoyed by
other citizens, Mr. Cheney said
that "people should be free to
enter into any kind of relationship
they want to enter into" and that
the issue of gay marriages should
be decided by the states.
But the Republican Party platform
explicitly opposes gay marriages,
saying, "We support the traditional
definition of marriage as the legal
union of one man and one
woman," and going on to pledge
that a Republican Justice
Department would vigorously
defend the Defense of Marriage
Act in the courts. That measure,
passed by Congress in 1996,
denied federal recognition of
same-sex marriages.
Against this backdrop, several conservative groups expressed
disappointment with Mr. Cheney for his remarks at the debate.
"While their views on the state of the military were in sharp contrast, the
candidates' views on matrimony were remarkably similar," Kenneth L.
Connor, the president of the Family Research Council, complained in a
message posted last week on his group's Web site.
"The candidates' comments were, no doubt, heartening to those in the
gay community who want to redefine marriage to include homosexual
unions. If traditional marriage is the foundation of society, what do last
night's comments say about the stability of our foundation?"
The American Family Association complained on its Web site: "GOP
Veep Candidate Fudges on Social Issues in Debate."
"Live and let live is fine as a policy for people's private lives, but
Secretary Cheney should have been much stronger in saying that
same-sex marriages are wrong," Tim Wildmon, the president of the
association, said in a statement on the site. "Secretary Cheney basically
said that if a state decided to legalize homosexual marriage — or
polygamy, for that matter — he thought that was `appropriate,' as long as
it was decided on the state level."
During the debate last week, after first saying people should be able to
enter any relationship they choose, Mr. Cheney said the issue of
government recognition was a much tougher question. "That's not a slam-
dunk," he said. "I think the fact of the matter, of course, is that matter is
regulated by the states. 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."
Gov. George W. Bush has said flatly that he opposes same-sex
marriages. And in an interview today aboard his campaign plane, Mr.
Cheney said he would defer to his running mate's views on the matter.
"The governor sets the policy for a Bush administration, and I'll be happy
to support his policy," he said.
Mr. Cheney also brushed off the criticism from conservatives. "Bernie
Shaw asked me a question and I answered it truthfully and accurately,"
he said, referring to the moderator of the debate. "My position's
unchanged." |
