Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Laura Bush on the same-sex marriage issue


John Wright of The Dallas Voice has run a fascinating quote from Laura Bush's upcoming memoir:

In 2004 the social question that animated the campaign was gay marriage. Before the election season had unfolded, I had talked to George about not making gay marriage a significant issue. We have, I reminded him, a number of close friends who are gay or whose children are gay. But at that moment I could never have imagined what path this issue would take and where it would lead.
What really would have been courageous is if Laura Bush made these feelings known to voters.  It's not so outlandish to think this could happen.  Her mother-in-law Barbara did this over the issue of abortion. 
If what Laura is saying is true about her not wanting marriage to be a political issue, it means that two of George Bush's closest advisors -- Laura Bush and Dick Cheeney -- were at odds with him over the ultimate strategy during that election.

What's also interesting is that Karl Rove  just published a memoir on which he claims that there was no strategy whatsoever to get out the anti-gay conservative vote by making marriage an issue.  This I have a much harder time believing.

Funny, though, how people are already distancing themselves from the anti-gay rhetoric of the past decade when it comes to marriage.  We can't let them rewrite history.   We know who was there for us, and who wasn't.

2 comments:

  1. Fascinating... I am interested to hear more, always kinda liked Laura Bush in spite of her husband and political party.

    Have you read "American Wife"? Fasciniating fiction about her.

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  2. I haven't read "American Wife" but it's on my list. The spouses of presidents are often more moderate (or more liberal) than their husbands, I think.

    Thanks for writing!

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