President Bush Backs Ban on Same-Sex Marriage
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: On the record again on marriage -- President Bush is for it, but only between a man and a woman. And he wants members of Congress, many facing reelection, to take the same stand.</s>GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Some argue that defining marriage should be left to the states. The fact is, state legislatures are trying to address this issue. But...</s>BUSH: But, across the country, they are being thwarted by activist judges, who are overturning the express will of their people. And these court decisions could have an impact on our whole nation.</s>SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MINORITY LEADER: For me, it's clear, the reason for this debate is to divide our society, to pit one against another. This is another one of the president's -- the president's efforts to frighten, to distort, distract and confuse America. It is this administration's way of avoiding the tough, the real problems American citizens are confronted with each and every day.</s>PHILLIPS: Well, two years ago, only 48 senators supported a same-sex marriage ban in the Constitution. Most agree the amendment circulating now has no chance of getting the 67 votes it needs to survive. CNN's Ed Henry at the White House -- Ed.</s>ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Kyra. You're right. Even though the Senate is very unlikely to actually pass this constitutional amendment, conservatives want to keep beating the drums. They feel like they will start getting some momentum, gets this passed down the road. And the only way to do that is to keep the pressure on. And they have been frustrated that people close to the president, like Mary Cheney, have been really talking this amendment down, Mary Cheney saying recently on her book tour that she thinks this is like writing discrimination into the Constitution. The first lady, Laura Bush, has also said this should not be used as a campaign tool. There should be more sensitivity brought to this topic. Meanwhile, the president has been relatively silent since the 2004 campaign -- conservatives frustrated that they helped deliver that reelection for the president, and, yet, they don't see him acting on all of this. So, that's why, a little earlier today, when the president gave them some red meat, they were pretty fired up.</s>BUSH: Marriage is the most fundamental institution of civilization, and it should not be redefined by activist judges.</s>BUSH: You are here because you strongly support a constitutional amendment that defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman. And I am proud to stand with you.</s>HENRY: Now, liberals see a president down in the polls suddenly turn -- turning to a web -- wedge issue that the president thinks could turn conservatives out in the midterms. And that's why Democrats are pretty fired up about this as well -- Kyra.</s>PHILLIPS: You know, it's interesting you brought up Mary Cheney, the vice president's daughter. We were talking about her, because we interviewed Chrissy Gephardt. She's very vocal about this. We sort of talked about being in a political family, being gay, having to talk about this issue. I wonder if we will hear from the vice president. He's sort of -- it's been a tough balancing act for him.</s>HENRY: You're right. I think it's unlikely we will hear from him. We did hear from the vice president in the last -- in the 2004 campaign. You will remember, that was really one of the only major splits between the president and the vice president, when the vice president basically said he feels like they should be left to the states. And you heard the president in that earlier sound clip basically pushing back against that very argument from the vice president and others, people in both parties who say it should be left to the states -- the president saying, look, states are trying to deal with it, but, in his view, activist courts, activist judges, are overturning what the people want in those states. Interesting. Amid all this conservative pressure, I talked after this event to Dr. James Dobson, one of the most influential conservative activists in the country. He has threatened that, if there was not enough movement on this issue, Republicans may find conservatives staying home in the midterm elections. Dr. Dobson told me he was very pleased with what the president had to say and said -- quote -- "I don't think he could have said it any stronger" -- Kyra.</s>PHILLIPS: Ed Henry at the White House -- thanks, Ed.</s>HENRY: Thank you.</s>PHILLIPS: If it sounds familiar, it is. The same-sex marriage ban came up in Congress in 2004 and got no further than it is likely to get this year. Here's the facts.</s>UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Despite President Bush's latest call for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, analysts say, chances for congressional passage are very unlikely at this time. The amendment would define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Even if left up to the American public, a constitutional ban might not be a safe bet. According to a recent Gallup poll, just half of Americans question support banning same-sex marriage. Forty-seven percent oppose the idea. Other polls show the issue is not among voters' priorities. At present, Massachusetts is the only state that's legalized same-sex marriage. Civil unions are legal in Vermont and Connecticut. Thirteen states and the nation's capital allow some form of domestic partnership. According to President Bush, 45 states have either a state constitutional amendment or statute defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman. In the fall election, initiatives banning same-sex marriage are expected to be on the ballot in six states. Two years ago, 13 states approved measures banning gay marriage or civil unions.</s>PHILLIPS: And, of course, we have been getting a number of e- mails about this ban on gay -- or on gay marriage, this one coming from Bruce out of New Jersey: "Gay couples have been legally getting married in Massachusetts, and, surprise, the world hasn't ended, the state hasn't become a bastion of immorality, nor has there been a collapse of civilized society." This one coming from Christopher: "Who cares? Fifty percent of people break their vows and get divorced. Who are we to spout off about the sanctity of marriage when it is a broken system?" And, finally, Valeria: "I'm glad that President Bush is speaking out against gay marriage. He is speaking out against something that is wrong morally, physically, and spiritually." Well, at first glance, it looked like police commandos carrying out a raid. Fifty people were taken off the streets of Baghdad this morning. But, even though the raiders had police uniforms and at least 13 vehicles with police markings, they were not police. It took more than an hour for the mass abductions to unfold. Neither the victims, nor the bogus commandos have been heard from since. Still more questions over the conduct of some American troops in Iraq, and more calls for Donald Rumsfeld to quit. CNN's Jamie McIntyre has the latest from the Pentagon. What do you think? Do you think he would quit under pressure?</s>JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: No.</s>PHILLIPS: Plain and simple. No.</s>PHILLIPS: That was easy, Jamie.</s>MCINTYRE: You know, you have to put these stories somewhat in the category of, critics of Rumsfeld remain critical and continue to call for him to step down. Rumsfeld, who has offered his resignation twice in the past over the Abu Ghraib scandal, has made it clear that he's not offering it again, and the president is not asking for it again. In fact, President Bush has given him another vote of confidence. A senior Defense official this morning, pressed for a reaction to the latest calls over the weekend from Senator Biden and others, simply said that it would be unfortunate if politics were inserted into this debate about what -- what may or may not have happened in Haditha, Iraq, back in November of last year.</s>PHILLIPS: What do you think about Haditha, Jamie? Charges, will they come forward? Have we heard anything more from the commandant of the Marine Corps, General Hagee?</s>MCINTYRE: Well, General Hagee is back, having met with his troops and given them the talking to that we said he was going to. The investigation is substantially complete, we are told. But, today, General Chiarelli, who is the one who ordered the investigation, told some members of Congress -- at least those members of Congress reported today that they met with him over the weekend, that he still wants some more information to make sure that, when this investigation is wrapped up, there are no loose ends. Sources, just on Friday, told us they thought the criminal investigation was still six to eight weeks from being completed. And just so people don't misunderstand, it's not like they are going to release the results of this investigation all at once. What will happen once the investigation is wrapped up is that, if there are charges to be brought, we will start to see those charges come against some of the Marines of Kilo Company, which are the ones under scrutiny for these killing of civilians last year in Haditha.</s>PHILLIPS: Mike, do you think -- or, Jamie, do you think you will get time with General Hagee, or is he not talking to the media?</s>MCINTYRE: He -- he has not -- has not been talking to the media. He said -- he made it clear he wanted to talk one on one with his Marines to stress the kinds of values that the Marine Corps espouses. He didn't want it to be a media event. They did release what he was going to say. And now that he's back, we are told that he may visit some of the bases in the United States to bring that same message to the Marines here in the United States, before they deploy to Iraq, or who have been to Iraq, as he did to the Marines who were in Iraq. He visited virtually every Marine base in Iraq while he was there.</s>PHILLIPS: Jamie McIntyre, thanks a lot. Americans know all to well about homegrown terror, but the possibility is shocking Canadians, after the arrest of 17 people accused of plotting bomb attacks in Ontario. CNN's homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve reports.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a wakeup call, for sure.</s>JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): If many Canadians were floored at the prospect of terrorists targeting their country, a few were not. Kim Bastarache says she had suspicions about her neighbor, Kium Abdul Jamal, who was among those arrested.</s>KIM BASTARACHE, NEIGHBOR: No, I knew they were.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You knew they were what?</s>BASTARACHE: Terrorists. He seemed like he was a terrorist person from the day one he moved in.</s>MESERVE: Jamal was said by some Muslims in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga to have taken control of a local mosque.</s>TAREK FATAH, MUSLIM CANADIAN CONGRESS: Throws the old guard out and takes it over, and turns a very moderate mosque into a very conservative, radical place, which excluded a whole lot of other Muslims, including those who had funded it.</s>MESERVE: Another Toronto mosque was vandalized over the weekend, leading the chief of police to appear with Muslim leaders and plead for calm.</s>BILL BLAIR, TORONTO POLICE CHIEF: Justice will be done. And, in the interim, I hope that we can all work together to maintain the respect and trust and peace of our communities.</s>MESERVE: The 17 suspects are being held under tight security, after being rounded up Friday night. Canadian authorities say they had acquired three tons of highly explosive ammonium nitrate and had what appeared to be detonators, the alleged targets, all in Ontario. An attorney for two of the suspects called the charges vague.</s>ROCCO GALATI, LAWYER: His family's well-established, well -- long-standing residents and citizens of Canada for the past 50 years.</s>MESERVE: But U.S. lawmakers are concerned.</s>SEN. CARL LEVIN (D), MICHIGAN: We've got a longer boarder with Canada than we do with Mexico. We've got thousands of trucks that come in every day, many of them -- most of them not inspected.</s>MESERVE (on camera): Canada officials describe those arrested as al Qaeda-inspired. And a U.S. counterterrorism official confirms that the men did have contact with terrorism suspects in the United States and in Britain. Jeanne Meserve, CNN, New York.</s>PHILLIPS: Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security. When the long arm of the law isn't quite long enough, well, it's good to have a guy like Steve Walker (ph) around. Walker (ph) happened to be driving by a Holly Springs, Georgia, officer -- we are talking about Julianne Welch (ph) -- when she was trying to put the collar on a suspect. But Welch (ph), who stands 5'4'', was having trouble subduing Mike Schmidt (ph), who tops out at about 6'11''. So, Walker (ph) waded into the fray, which involved rolling around in a briar patch before it was all over. For aiding and abetting a police officer, Walker (ph) is getting a commendation from the Holly Springs City Council. Reporting for duty on the border -- dozens of National Guard troops are starting a new mission in Arizona. What their duties will and will not include -- coming up on LIVE FROM.