Fuck you too Mr President

US President George W. Bush has reignited the gay marriage debate in a speech at the White House on Monday.

“Marriage is the most fundamental institution of civilization, and it should not be redefined by activist judges,” he said, as the US Senate prepared to debate a proposed amendment banning same-sex marriage.

The proposed Marriage Protection Amendment would define marriage as solely between a man and a woman.

Political commentators say Bush benefited from his support of the amendment in 2004, as the move encouraged religious conservatives to vote for him, helping him win a second term. Bush has said little about same-sex marriage since his re-election.

With his popularity rate at an all-time low following the mishandling of the war in Iraq and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, some have suggested that Bush is relying on the divisive same-sex marriage issue to rebuild support among his own party and religious conservatives.

“Yes, this is about pandering to his base,” said Matt Foreman, Executive Director, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. “Yes, this is about diverting America's attention from his foreign and domestic failures.”

Democrat Senator Ted Kennedy called the measure “bigotry, pure and simple,” while in an open letter released Monday morning, the head of conservative gay and lesbian group the Log Cabin Republicans, denounced Bush’s support for the proposed marriage amendment.

“Your decision to use the grounds of the White House - America's house - to advance discrimination is an insult to millions of fair-minded Americans from all walks of life,” wrote Patrick Guerriero, the group’s outgoing executive director.

Opposition to the amendment from the Democrats, coupled with resistance from Republican moderates, is likely to ensure that this week’s senate debate on the issue will be a futile exercise.