The Anti-Sam Brownback Blog

From 364Gay:

(Washington) Senate Judiciary Committee chair Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) said Tuesday that he will vote in favor of moving forward an amendment to the Constitution to prevent same-sex couples from marrying even though he opposes the measure.

The proposed amendment is scheduled for a vote in the judiciary sub-committee on Wednesday.

Specter said that despite his personal opposition to the bill he believes it should go to the Senate floor for a vote.

“I do not think it ought to be bottled up in subcommittee or committee,” Specter said.

The amendment is sponsored in the Senate by Sam Brownback (R-Kan). Brownback, expected to be a candidate for the GOP presidential nomination in 2008, is chair of the sub-committee.

Brownback has made passage of the bill a key issue in this session of the Senate - a move seen by analysts on Capitol Hill as an attempt to garner support among conservatives for his presidential aspirations.

Indeed. Throwing out some fresh meat for the base. The big news is not that Brownback is pushing this amendment, but that Specter is allowing it to move forward. The timing for a full Senate fight would be ripe for the 2006 elections, and campaigning for state ratification could coincide with the 2008 Presidential campaigns.

I must say though, I’m not convinced it will get out of committee.