*TEDDY ON MARRIAGE: As soon as President Bush announced February 24 that he supported a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union of one man and one woman, Sen. Teddy Kennedy (D.-Mass.) trundled to the Senate floor to do what he has done so often before-attack the institution of marriage. "By endorsing this shameful proposal," said Kennedy, "President Bush will go down in history as the first President to try to write bias back into the Constitution." Kennedy, of course, carved his own place in history at Chappaquiddick, where he left Mary Jo Kopechne in the back of his submerged Oldsmobile. *SPECTER 'PREPARED': The political potency of the marriage amendment was demonstrated by the circumspect response of Sen. Arlen Specter (R.-Pa.)-a normally hard-line social liberal facing a GOP primary challenge from conservative Rep. Pat Toomey. Specter who has a history of supporting "gay rights," won't rule out voting for the amendment. Translation: If he's forced to vote before the primary, he'll likely side with Bush. Said Specter: "If the states cannot preserve the traditions of marriage between a man and a woman, I would be prepared to consider a U.S. constitutional amendment." *RECESS FOR PRYOR: While the Senate took a week off for Washington's Birthday, President Bush used a recess appointment to place Alabama Atty. Gen. William H. Pryor on the Atlanta-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. This was Bush's second recess appointment. In January, he used the procedure to elevate U.S. Judge Charles W. Pickering to the New Orleans-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. Pryor, who riled liberals by calling Roe v. Wade "the worst abomination in the history of constitutional law," had been approved by the Judiciary Committee on a party-line vote, and had been one of six Bush nominees blocked by Democratic filibustering. Under the rules, Pryor can serve until the end of the 2005 congressional session. *PLAYING AT RECESS: Citing the Pryor appointment, Democrats accused Bush of playing politics with judicial nominations-as if the Democratic filibuster of six nominees was not politically motivated. In truth, Bush had both substantive and political incentives for the recess appointment. First, as the Washington Times reported, "The Administrative Office of U.S. Courts listed the vacancy in the 11th Circuit that Judge Pryor has just filled as a judicial emergency, since the seat had been vacant since December 2000." Secondly, although Pryor's from the South, his status as a pro-life Roman Catholic appointee will help Bush make his case among pro-life Catholic voters in Midwest swing states, who will be alienated from Democratic Sen. John Kerry's left-wing views on social issues and judges. *NADER'S FANTASY: On NBC's "Meet the Press" February 22, Ralph Nader announced he's running for President again, this time as an Independent rather than as The Green Party candidate. Nader laid out a far-left platform: Withdraw from Iraq, repeal all Bush tax cuts, support gay marriage. Responding to Democrats who believe he tipped the 2000 election to Bush, Nader claimed on ABC's "Good Morning America" that this time he can help Democrats build the case against Bush-among conservatives. "And this can start," said Nader, "with the increasing split between the conservative Republicans who are furious with Bush over deficits, over corporate subsidies, over NAFTA, over the Patriot Act, that's a great opportunity for the Democrats." *TIE GAME: On February 23, Fox News released a nationwide poll of 900 registered voters (margin of error +/-3%). It showed Bush and Kerry in an exact tie in the presidential race-45% apiece. The poll showed that 63% believe this election will make a greater difference to the future of the country than most presidential elections. *THEOLOGIANS NEED NOT APPLY: The Supreme Court ruled last week that a Washington State college scholarship program open to students in all academic majors-except theology-is not unconstitutional. Chief Justice William Rehnquist wrote a narrowly tailored 7-to-2 opinion that steered clear of school-choice issues, although the left will now argue that states can constitutionally exclude religious schools from school-choice programs. Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas dissented. Wrote Scalia of Washington's law: "[I]t violates the Free Exercise Clause no less than if it had imposed a special tax."
