WASHINGTON – A group of gay Republicans who supported President Bush in 2000 will air a television ad opposing a Bush-backed constitutional amendment that would prohibit gays from marrying.
The 30-second spot by the Log Cabin Republicans (search) shows Vice President Dick Cheney (search) at a debate four years ago saying, "People should be free to enter into any kind of relationship they want to enter into." The ad begins Thursday in several states.
The vice president also says: "I don't think there should necessarily be a federal policy in this area." The words "We agree" then flash on the screen.
Cheney said last week that he supports the president, even though one of his daughters, Mary, is gay.
Last month, Bush called for quick election-year enactment of the amendment following a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (search) ruling in November that it is unconstitutional to bar gay couples from marriage. Since the ruling, several cities and mayors have been conducting gay marriages in defiance of local and state laws.
The Log Cabin Republicans' $1 million effort to defeat the amendment includes lobbying, grass-roots mobilization and print advertisements with the TV ads, which will run in Washington, D.C., Ohio, Missouri, Florida, Minnesota, New Mexico, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin.
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