Gay-marriage amendment fails in Senate

By Andy Sullivan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate voted down a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage on Wednesday, but Republicans planned a vote in the House of Representatives to keep a national spotlight on the hot-button issue.

The 49 to 48 Senate vote fell short of the 60 votes needed to clear a procedural hurdle, thwarting President Bush and the mostly Republican lawmakers who said the Constitution must be amended to prevent judges from striking down existing state bans on gay marriage.

Democrats accused Republicans of exploiting a divisive issue they knew would fail in order to shore up conservative support before November congressional elections and divert attention from topics like the war in Iraq that reflect poorly on the party in control of the White House and Congress.

"It is a cynical attempt to score political points by overriding state courts and intruding into individuals' private lives," Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts said in floor debate on Tuesday.

The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to take up the marriage amendment in July, though Republican leaders do not expect it to pass there either.

"This is a big issue for lots of our members and frankly for lots of Americans," House Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio told reporters on Tuesday.

Constitutional amendments must win approval from two-thirds of each house of the U.S. Congress and three-quarters of state legislatures before taking effect.

Colorado Republican Sen. Wayne Allard, the bill's sponsor, did not expect the gay-marriage ban to pass but hoped to demonstrate increased support since 2004, when 48 senators voted for a similar bill. Continued... (at Reuters)