JOHN: WHAT GAY WEDDINGS?
By DEBORAH ORIN & STEFAN C. FRIEDMAN
February 24, 2004 -- Democratic front-runner John Kerry yesterday claimed he's unfamiliar with the much-publicized gay marriages being conducted by the mayor of San Francisco, so he can't express an opinion about whether they're right or wrong.
"I haven't made any judgment about it. I haven't really kept up with exactly what he is doing," Kerry told a press conference at York College in Queens.
There have been more than 3,000 gay marriages in San Francisco over the last two weeks in heavily publicized acts of civil disobedience that have touched off a national debate.
Kerry says he's against gay marriage but for civil unions - and has left the door open to backing a Massachusetts constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, depending on wording.
His chief remaining Democratic 2004 rival, Sen. John Edwards (N.C.), also opposes gay marriage and backs civil unions, while the Rev. Al Sharpton backs gay marriage.
All three stumped in the Big Apple yesterday with an eye on the March 2 primary - where Kerry tops polls by miles.
Kerry, a Vietnam vet, vigorously defended his defense record and insisted that though he ran for the U.S. Senate in 1984 on a pledge to kill many key weapons programs like the B-2 stealth bomber, he changed his mind almost instantly.
"I never voted for one of those [cuts], I don't think," said Kerry - but Republicans quickly produced a long list of his votes for defense cuts through the 1990s.
In 1984, Kerry wanted to kill the B-1 bomber, the B-2, the Apache helicopter, Patriot missile, F-15, F-14A and F-14D fighter jets, the Harrier jet and the Trident missile and also to cut the M1 Abrams tank, Tomahawk cruise missile and Bradley fighting vehicle.
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