Mon. October 20, 2008
New York City -
In an interview to air on the Christian Broadcasting Network's ‘700 Club,' Republican vice presidential nominee Gov. Sarah Palin signals support for a federal marriage amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman a position inconsistent with Sen. John McCain, who has opposed such a measure.
In excerpts from the interview published on the CBN Web site, Senior Correspondent David Brody asked Palin, "On constitutional marriage amendment, are, are you for something like that?"
"I am, in my own, state, I have voted along with the vast majority of Alaskans who had the opportunity to vote to amend our Constitution defining marriage as between one man and one woman," Palin said, citing the 1998 initiative that banned gay marriage in her home state.
"I wish on a federal level that that's where we would go because I don't support gay marriage," Palin added.
McCain voted against efforts for a proposed Federal Marriage Amendment in 2004 and 2006.
"The constitutional amendment we're debating today strikes me as antithetical in every way to the core philosophy of Republicans," McCain said in 2004. "It usurps from the states a fundamental authority they have always possessed and imposes a federal remedy for a problem that most states do not believe confronts them."
The nomination of Palin, a fundamentalist Christian, initially energized evangelicals within the Republican Party. She is opposed to abortion rights, including in cases of incest and rape. Her history of opposing equal rights for gays and lesbians has already come under heavy fire from gay rights organizations.
McCain's selection of Palin has since come under fire from both conservatives and liberals.
On Friday the Chicago Tribune endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. The paper's editorial board, one of the most conservative in the nation, argued McCain "failed in his most important executive decision" and "put his campaign before his country" by choosing Palin. (Full Story)
During her debate with Sen. Joe Biden on Oct. 2, Palin stopped short of supporting a federal gay marriage and touted a diverse group of friends and family.
"One of my absolute best friends for the last 30 years who happens to be gay and I love her dearly. And she is not my gay friend. She is one of my best friends who happens to have made a choice that isn't a choice that I would have made," Palin said.
In September Wasilla Bible Church, Palin's home church, promoted a conference that promised to convert gays into heterosexuals through the power of prayer.
Palin, a born-again Christian, went on to discuss her faith during the CBN interview and said she prays for God's wisdom, grace and favor.
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