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Bush Backs Congressional Push for Same-Sex Marriage Ban; Fake Police Stage Mass Kidnapping in Baghdad; Three Killed in Mississippi Oil Field Explosion; Memorial Service Held for Mistaken Identity Victim; Couple Arrested for Kidnapping, Selling Children

Aired June 05, 2006 - 13:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KYRA PHILLIPS, HOST: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.
Should we use the Constitution to protect an institution? Anger over an election year amendment on marriage?

Search for a newborn girl. Details of a kidnap plot and the main suspect posing as a nurse.

Plus, on the job, guarding the border. Who's doing what and who's in charge?

Battle renewed over same-sex marriage. This time it's not any particular state or court but the U.S. Congress. Senators begin debate next hour on what's called the Marriage Protection Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

The president speaks on the subject later this hour but just minutes ago, his spokesman said this to the reporters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Of course, there's a political dimension to it. There's going to be a Senate vote on it, for heaven's sakes. There's naturally -- there are political dimensions on both sides.

This is an issue -- and we talked about it this morning -- that I think is of keen interest to a lot of people. And one of the interesting aspects is that there -- it's still -- the amendment still permits states to consider arrangements in institutions for same-sex couples that would not be called marriage. But the president feels strongly that marriage is an institution, has a fixed meaning that ought to be honored in American law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Now, the last time Congress took up the issue, two years ago, only 48 senators voted for the same-sex marriage ban. Sixty-seven are needed to even get it before the voters. Our congressional correspondent, Dana Bash, takes a closer look at the debate and the debaters.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Gay rights activists are gearing up to blanket Capitol Hill and urge senators to vote against a Constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.

JOE SOLMONESE, HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN: What we're really talking about this week is a conversation both from the White House and in the leadership in the Senate about writing discrimination into the Constitution. And that couldn't be more out of step with where the American people are right now.

BASH: But for social conservatives, prohibiting same-sex marriage is a top priority. These ads are targeting senators in more than a dozen states.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Homosexual activists don't care if children are deprived of a mom or dad. Only a constitutional amendment can protect marriage from attack.

BASH: In 2004 President Bush and Republican congressional leaders talked up a federal ban on gay marriage to galvanize social conservatives in key swing states.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Because the union of a man and woman deserves an honored place in our society.

BASH: Since then the president has been virtually silent, and veteran activists like Richard Vigurie say it's just one reason the Republican rank and file are unhappy with their leadership in Washington.

RICHARD VIGURIE, CONSERVATIVE ACTIVIST: They just feel they've been betrayed. They feel abandoned by the president, by his aides in the White House, by the Republican leaders in the House and the Senate. I've never seen conservatives so frustrated, disappointed and many of them, quite frankly, angry.

BASH: That's exactly why conservative organizers say Congress must debate issues like a gay marriage ban if Republicans want disillusioned conservatives to vote this November.

PETER SPRIGG, FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL: We don't have an interest in re-electing a Republican Congress if they're not willing to fight for pro-family issues.

BASH (on camera): No one expects this measure to get the two- thirds majority need to change the Constitution, but the federal ban is expected to get more than 50 votes this time. That's more than when the Senate voted two years ago, and supporters say that's important because it shows their point of view is gaining momentum.

Dana Bash, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And we're waiting to hear from the president, about half an hour or so. He's expected to make a push for the proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. We'll bring you his comments, live.

We want to hear from you. Do you care about the gay marriage amendment? Send us an e-mail to LiveFrom@CNN.com. Tell us if you think this issue is a distraction from more pressing business. I'll read some of your e-mails straight ahead on LIVE FROM.

The Supreme Court is about to revisit one of its toughest subjects: race in schools. The high court has agreed to decide what role, if any, affirmative action should play in public school admissions.

Justices will take up two appeals from Kentucky and Washington state. Currently, students in Seattle pick among high schools, and tie breakers, race among them, help decide who gets into schools who have more applicants and openings. The case from Louisville is similar. The court deliberated for six weeks whether or not to intervene, an unusually long time.

Brazen raid on a busy street: 50 people herded into cars this morning by Iraqi police in Baghdad, except they really weren't police. Let's get straight to our John Vause with more on this bizarre mass kidnapping.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This all happened in broad daylight in downtown Baghdad, in what appears to be a well organized, well planned kidnapping. Some witnesses say it took more than an hour to carry out.

The interior ministry says gunmen dressed as Iraqi commandos driving more than a dozen cars, some without license plates, others painted to look like Iraqi police vehicles, kidnapped at least 50 people from three different transportation companies. They grabbed anyone, it seems: drivers, office staff, even passengers off buses headed to Jordan and Syria.

Also abducted, the owner of one of these companies, the largest transportation company in Iraq, as well as his two sons.

It's not uncommon for gunmen to dress as Iraqi security forces. It happened a month ago in Baquba. Thirteen people were kidnapped there. Fake police and army uniforms are easy to find in Baghdad. They can be bought at markets for as little as $25.

John Vause, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: So a trial usually follows an arrest but nothing is usual in the trial of former Iraqi president, Saddam Hussein.

Defense lawyers protested today over the chief judge ordering the arrest of four defense witnesses. The judge says they committed perjury during their testimony. Hussein and his co-defendants are on trial in the deaths of 148 Shiites. One of the witnesses claimed that some of those Shiites are still alive.

Let's get straight to the newsroom now with Betty Nguyen working a story for us -- Betty.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, Kyra, this one -- apparently, there has been an oil field explosion. Two people died in that. Two are injured, as well.

This happened around 8:30 this morning in, as you see right there, Raleigh, Mississippi. What was happening was these workers were welding on a tank when that exploded and another tank caught fire.

Now, the good news is that the fire has been extinguished, but the exact cause of the explosion, well, that's still unknown. But again, two people have been killed in this explosion. Two others have been injured, and we're going to stay on top of this and bring you the latest, just as soon as we know it -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Betty, thanks.

Well, empty arms and a heart full of fear. A new mother agonizes while police in Texas search for her ailing newborn. A nationwide Amber Alert is in effect for five-day-old Priscilla Nicole Maldonado, who needs treatment for jaundice.

The newborn reportedly was snatched by a woman who befriended the baby's mother in a Lubbock hospital. Police say the kidnapper posed as a hospital worker. And -- and basically took Erica Ysasaga into a false sense of security and got her home address. Well, yesterday during a visit, the suspect allegedly disappeared with Priscilla while her mom was diverted. We're going to bring you any new developments as they happen.

So is your boss reading your e-mail? Many of your messages aren't as private as you think.

And a live statement from President Bush on the gay marriage issue.

More LIVE FROM next. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, we want to hear from you. Do you care about the gay marriage amendment? Send us an e-mail to LiveFrom@CNN.com. Tell us if you think the issue is a distraction from more pressing business. I'll read some of your e-mails straight ahead on LIVE FROM.

Gay marriage, the president will preach to his base this hour. The Senate begins debate next hour, even though must agree the proposed constitutional amendment has no chance of passing. So why bring it up?

CNN's Ed Henry is at the White House.

Hi, Ed.

ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Kyra.

You know, it's interesting. As White House spokesman Tony Snow just wrapped up his on camera briefing. And he really was almost trying to portray the president as a passive participant in this whole debate, saying he's only really speaking out today mostly because the Senate debate is kicking off, adding that the president is really not planning to call or lobby any senators on this debate, charging the media is over-hyping this entire debate.

But conservative activists like Tony Perkins are noting that it was the president himself who, back in the 2004 campaign, was not a passive participant. He was very actively promoting this as an issue.

And I think a lot of Democrats today are charging that the president maybe is trying to have it both ways a bit in the sense that he really rallied his base back in 2004. It helped him get re-elected in part on this issue.

But now the president seems to be almost trying to be at arm's length on the issue. There had been some talk this event would be in the Rose Garden. Now it's actually going to be in the old executive office building, not such a quite picturesque setting.

A lot of questions about whether the president is downplaying this. Tony Snow insists there was no thought process about the Rose Garden and that people are making too much of that. And he only reluctantly acknowledged that politics is playing any role in this debate. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SNOW: Of course, there's a political dimension to it. There's going to be a Senate vote on it, for heaven's sakes. There's naturally -- there are political dimensions on both sides.

This is an issue -- we talked about this this morning -- that I think is of keen interest to a lot of people. And one of the interesting aspects is that it's still -- the amendment still permits states to consider arrangements and institutions for same-sex couples that would not be called marriage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: Now, Tony Snow added that the president really has no plans beyond the statement today to really actively campaign on this issue anymore.

And I pressed him on the point that after the 2004 election the president, even though it wasn't necessarily on the national agenda, decided to put Social Security reform on the agenda. Went out there time and time again, gave speech after speech.

And Tony Snow basically responded with a laugh. He feels like the White House is damned if they do, damned if they don't. If they go out there further on a limb on this issue, they get hammered; if they don't do enough, they get hammered. So he's basically saying they feel like they're caught in the middle here -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And obviously, we've been hearing a lot from both sides. And Ed, we just heard from what one gay marriage supporter had to say about the timing of President Bush's speech. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. ROBERT HARDIES, OPPOSES GAY MARRIAGE BAN: Let's be honest with ourselves. There isn't anyone here who is naive enough to believe that the introduction of this legislation now in two consecutive election cycles is anything but a politically motivated effort to win votes by demonizing a class of citizens.

(END VIDEO CLIP0

PHILLIPS: And some say also a distraction from the war in Iraq. What does the White House say, Ed?

HENRY: Well, Tony Snow is obviously rejecting that completely. As you note, some Democrats like Joe Biden have raised the idea that they think that maybe the White House is trying to distract attention from the war in Iraq. Some of the bad news coming out of Iraq and Afghanistan, frankly, and trying to focus instead on an issue that rallies a conservative base.

And let's face it, the president has a lot riding on these midterm elections coming up in November. He's not on the ballot, but if Republicans are to lose control of Congress, the president's agenda is going to be paralyzed, very likely, in the final two years of his presidency, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Ed Henry live from the White House, thanks so much.

I'm get -- tell me what -- OK, great. Straight ahead, terror in Cerano (ph). Details on activity that shows America's northern neighbors are hard at work in the war on terror.

More LIVE FROM coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: So if you work for a big company, you may want to be very careful about what you're putting in those outgoing e-mails.

Susan Lisovicz, live from the New York Stock Exchange to explain. As you can imagine, this got a lot of us talking today at the meeting, wondering what we've said in the past couple of years via e-mail. Can't even remember. SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you want to forget. You want to repress it. I mean, if in doubt, leave it out, Kyra, because, you know, unlike a phone call you make at work, e-mails are permanent. A lot of big companies have to save -- they have to save e-mails for also to regulatory reasons and a new study says e-mails, web mail, blog postings continue to grow as a source of risk for companies.

Thirty-eight percent of companies with a thousand or more employees hire staff to read or analyze outbound e-mail. Forty-four percent of companies with 20,000 or more employees.

The numbers come from the message security company Proofpoint. It seems that those companies have reason to worry, because more than a third of companies say that their business was affected by the exposure of sensitive or embarrassing information. And last year more than 20 percent say customer information was stolen or improperly exposed, and 15 percent say intellectual property was compromised.

More than half of the companies surveyed say they've disciplined an employee for violating e-mail policies in the last year and nearly one in three has fired an employee. Overall, companies estimate that more than 20 percent of outgoing e-mails contain content that poses a legal, financial or regulatory risk.

And, Kyra, it's not just the rank and file like you and me. You'll remember a couple years ago Boeing's chief executive officer was fired because of e-mails that exposed his affair with a female colleague. This at a time when Boeing wanted to demonstrate it was a company of integrity. And so, you know, everybody is affected by e- mail, by what you send out.

PHILLIPS: We've even seen it here at our company, as well. What are other things happening on Wall Street?

(STOCK REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Let's get straight to the newsroom. Betty Nguyen working details on a developing story -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Yes, we do have some new information. A third person has died in that oil well -- or that oil field explosion in Raleigh, Mississippi. Here's a map of exactly where it is.

Here's what happened. Two people died at the scene. A third died at a nearby hospital. The only survivor is currently in critical condition.

This explosion occurred at the oil field storage facility around 8:30 this morning. And what was happening was these workers, they were welding a tank. When that tank exploded and another tank caught on fire, as well.

Now deputies say the tanks were empty and the fire was extinguished an hour and a half after the explosion occurred. But at this point, Kyra, it doesn't seem like investigators know exactly what caused this explosion. What we do know is that three people have now died because of it, and one is in critical condition. We'll stay on top of it.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Betty.

One terrible accident, five untimely deaths and one survivor and one incredible case of mistaken identity.

You may have heard about the crash victims who looked so much alike that for weeks the family and friends of a woman who died mistaken kept vigil at the bedside of the sole survivor.

CNN's Carol Costello filed an update for "AMERICAN MORNING".

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (singing): Sing a simple song of love.

CAROL COSTELLO, ANN ANCHOR (voice-over): Nearly 2,000 attended a memorial service Sunday in Kentwood, Michigan, for Laura VanRyn. The 22-year-old-year-old Taylor University student was mistakenly thought to have survived an April highway crash in which four students from the Indiana school and a school employee were killed.

For weeks, everyone thought Laura was alive and that her classmate, 19-year-old Whitney Cerak, had died in the crash. VanRyn's boyfriend was a constant visitor to the rehab facility where the patient he thought was Laura lay in a coma.

ARYN LINENGER, LAURA VANRYN'S BOYFRIEND: I saw her, her hands, her feet, her complexion, and I couldn't believe that it wasn't her.

COSTELLO: Last week as the woman emerged from her coma, Laura's family and her boyfriend realized it wasn't Laura in the hospital bed but Whitney.

LINENGER: Many of you today are probably wondering how a man could date a girl and love a girl for three years and not know that it was her. I ask myself that same question.

COSTELLO: The Indiana coroner's office says Laura and Whitney were misidentified at the scene of the accident. He later apologized for the tragic mistake.

The VanRyn family has received permission to exhume Laura's body and have her buried closer to their home. As for Sunday's memorial service, it was about more than just mistaken identity. It was about the life of Laura VanRyn, and how she touched the lives of others.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was interesting to me how losing someone you love so much can change your perspective on everything. I long for the day when I will be able to see her once more.

(END VIDEOTAPE) PHILLIPS: Well, Laura's boyfriend kept a journal of what he thought was her recovery. And at one point he noted her eyes seemed bluer but that he never thought it wasn't her.

As for Whitney Cerak, well, her family also held a service yesterday offering prayers for the VanRyn family. Their pastor described the reunion between the Whitney and her parents as a scene from heaven.

You can see more reports from Carol Costello weekdays on "AMERICAN MORNING" at 6 a.m. Eastern.

A prosecutor wants the death penalty for the man suspected of killing seven members of one family in Indianapolis. Formal charges are expected tomorrow against Desmond Turner, who surrendered Saturday after a manhunt.

Several hundred people, including the Indianapolis mayor, turned out for memorial service for the family yesterday.

Police say that Turner and an accomplice, arrested Friday, had the mistaken idea that there were large amounts of cash at the murder scene. Three of the victims were young children.

An American couple arrested in Mexico charged with an unthinkable crime. They're suspected of trying to sell their children. Robert Santos of our San Diego affiliate, KGTV, spoke with an outraged grandmother who says she doesn't even know her own daughter anymore.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GELA HEIRD, GRANDMOTHER: When she took the kids, what a shock. I couldn't function no more and I never knew what to do.

ROBERT SANTOS, KGTV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Angelica Heird gained custody of her two grandchildren in 2002 after her daughter, Jessica, was deemed an unfit parent by an Arizona court. Jessica Heird was 16 and listed as a runaway.

A year later Mojave County issued a warrant for her arrest. Federal authorities believed she and her boyfriend, Edward Leader, kidnapped their two children and took them to Tijuana, where U.S. authorities tracked them down four years later.

JESSICA HEIRD, ARRESTED FOR ATTEMPTING TO SELL CHILDREN: I'm not guilty of anything.

EDWARD LEADER, ARRESTED FOR ATTEMPTING TO SELL CHILDREN: I have nothing on me. No, they told me that I was -- that I was fine.

SANTOS: The couple spent some time in a Tijuana jail Friday after they were caught by U.S. marshals and Mexican authorities. They're suspected also of selling at least one of their children, possibly two, while in Mexico. One, an 18-month-old girl the couple had in Tijuana.

The reason the kids were sold, still unclear. Doctor Neil Ribner (ph) handles many custodial cases where children are often neglected.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't know what was going on with these parents. We don't know whether they were psychologically disturbed to begin with. We don't know whether they are into drugs. We don't know whether they had some kind of a crisis situation.

G. HEIRD: After awhile you don't know your kids anymore.

SANTOS: The children's grandmother explained she was at work and the kids were left with their great-grandmother when she says her daughter took them away, supposedly for a doctor's appointment. She drove six hours from Arizona to see if and when she'll get them back.

G. HEIRD: I searched for them for four years. I fought for them, so I want to have them home.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: U.S. and Mexican investigators say that another child is still missing. And you should know that Jessica Karin Heird is pregnant again.

Well, we're waiting to hear from the president in just a few minutes. He's expected to make a push for the proposed constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage. We'll bring you his comments live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: No, I think what the president is saying is that courts around the country have decided to overturn decisions made by voters in their states, based on their viewer interpretation of the constitution and if it comes to the point where if you have to figure out what the constitution says on such an issue, where there are big and important divides in American culture, as this proceeds, it may be necessary to clarify what the constitution says by amending it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Senators will begin that debate next hour in what's called the Marriage Protection Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. President Bush also will be making his comments coming up later this hour. We'll take it live and we'll do that as soon as he steps up to the mic.

Well, if it sounds familiar, it is. The same-sex marriage ban came up in Congress in 2004 and got no further than it's likely to get this year. Here's the facts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: Despite President Bush's latest call for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, analysts say chances for congressional passage are very unlikely at this time. The amendment would define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Even if left up to the American public, a constitutional ban might not be a safe bet. According to a recent Gallup poll, just half of Americans question support banning same-sex marriage. Forty-seven percent oppose the idea. Other polls show the issue is not among voters' priorities.

At present Massachusetts is the only state that's legalized same- sex marriage. Civil unions are legal in Vermont and Connecticut. Thirteen states and the nation's capital allow some form of domestic partnership. According to President Bush, 45 states have either a state constitutional amendment or statute defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman.

In the fall election, initiatives banning same-sex marriage are expected to be on the ballot in six states. Two years ago, 13 states approved measures banning gay marriage or civil unions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Once again we're waiting to hear from the president. He's expected to make his push for the proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. We'll bring you his comments live as soon as he begins.

Canadians call it a plot inspired by Al Qaeda. Seventeen Muslim men and teens are due in court tomorrow accused of planning bombings in and around Toronto. Police say that more arrests may be coming. They've confiscated what looks like a cell phone detonator and ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive fertilizer used in Oklahoma city. The FBI says the case posed no threat to the U.S.

It was quite a sight in London, hundreds of police, many in protective suits, swarming a house in search of a chemical weapon and still don't know whether any such weapon exists, but they're hoping two brothers can offer clues.

CNN's Paula Hancocks is there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Two men are still being held in custody in the central London police station behind me. Now, the two were arrested early Friday morning in a big police operation and raid on their house which took place about 4:00 in the morning. Now one of the men, Abdul Kahar was shot in the shoulder during that raid. There have been conflicting reports of how exactly that shot was fired. Now police have suggested there was some sort of scuffle, that the solicitor for Abdul Kahar has said that he was given no prior warning, no warning signal, and he was just shot as he was walking down the stairs. Now, he's still under heavy medication and as his solicitor explained to us early Monday morning, he still cannot be questioned.

KATE ROXBURGH, LAWYER FOR ABDUL KAHAR: Last night the issues was that he was in a lot of pain, which has to be controlled by very strong pain killers. They render him unfit to be interviewed, so the doctors are looking at a way to solve that.

HANCOCKS: Now, his brother, Abdul Koyair Kalam has already been questioned once on Friday and then once on Sunday. He is expected to be questioned again later on this Monday. Now, both deny at the moment any wrongdoing and say they're confused as to why they're in custody. Police can hold the men until Wednesday when they either have to charge them, release them on bail or otherwise apply to a magistrate to be able to hold them for another week.

Now, there has been a lot of speculation as to what exactly this intelligence was which led to this huge police operation on Friday. Now, the speculation is that there was some kind of chemical device or this house could have been used as a bomb making factory. Now, as of yet police have not found anything in their forensics search on the house which is expected to be meticulous. So there have been some criticism and questions to the police as to whether or not this intelligence was faulty or whether there could be a chemical device elsewhere in London.

As yet police are not commenting on that. Paula Hancocks, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Let's get straight to the news room once again.

Betty Nguyen working details on that developing story we had for you earlier.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well it appears, Kyra, that CBS correspondent Kimberly Dozier will be spending a little more time in Germany. She was expected to come home yesterday, but it appears wounded soldiers with more urgent needs had to be flown out before she will be flown out. As you recall, she suffered injuries last Monday in a roadside bomb. Two of her crew members, a photographer and a sound man were killed in that explosion. She was sent to Germany to get some repairs to her legs and other injuries that she has and she's done really well and was hoping to be flown back to the U.S. on Sunday but like I said, it appears that she's going to be staying just a few more days.

Some wounded soldiers with injuries much more urgent than Kimberly Dozier's had to be flown out before her. So, she'll be there just a little bit longer. And of course, we're going to stay on top of this story, a story that's hit a lot of us, especially those in the media. Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Betty, thanks so much.

Straight ahead, gay marriage in the spotlight. Will Congress pass an amendment making it legal? Many people say it won't happening.

We're LIVE FROM, coming up. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Live pictures from the White House right now. We're waiting for live comments from the president of the United States. Senators begin debate on what is called the Marriage Protection Amendment to the U.S. Constitution while others say it's just writing discrimination into The Constitution. We're going to talk about the debate and, of course, carry the president's live comments.

Well, we want to hear more from you. We received a number of e- mails, of course, on this issue. Douglas from New York writes, "The issue is ridiculous. While I agree that gay marriage is abhorrent, I am more concerned with wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, high gas prices, illegal immigration, and genocide in Darfur and Congo, in that order. Bush should leave it to state legislatures to define marriage.

Eric in Connecticut. "When a sitting president uses the country's very foundation to limit rather than empower a minority's freedom and have it be based on the president's personal religious beliefs, the whole country should be saying 'Wow, a great country is taking a very major step backward."

And Felix writes, "The reason Bush is bringing the subject up again is because homosexuality is wrong. It's simple as that. Bush is making an attempt to fight against something that is wrong. That is what he is supposed to do as a leader of a country."

We want to continue to take your e-mails. Send them to us. Do you even care about gay marriage and this amendment? Send us an e- mail to livefrom@CNN.com. Tell us if you think the issue is a distraction from more pressing business. I'll read some of your emails straight ahead on LIVE FROM.

So, diversionary tactic, political pandering, out of touch politicians? We haven't heard much about banning same sex marriage once and for all since the last election. All of a sudden with off- year elections looming the president is about to weigh in again. So is Ken Rudin, political editor for NPR. Ken, great to see you. What do you think the motive is?

KEN RUDIN, NPR POLITICAL EDITOR: The motive is that the president's conservative base feels it's a very important issue. The evangelical Christians re-elected George Bush in 2004 and kept the Republicans in control of congress and they say now it's time for the Republicans to deliver and same-sex marriage is a very important thing for this group of people and I guess the Republicans and the president owes them.

PHILLIPS: You have critics coming forward saying give me a break. The war in Iraq is a disaster. There's all these investigations that are going on. Once again he's using this social issue to override what's really upsetting Americans.

RUDIN: Nothing overrides the war in Iraq. Look at the front pages of the newspapers. You are not going to see these horror stories of gays and lesbians getting married every day. You will see horror stories of indiscriminate bombings and beheadings and killings in Iraq. Nothing will wipe it off the front page but as I say it's an important issue for a group of the president's supporters, the Republican supporters, and the Republicans will deliver.

They said, look, nobody thinks this will be passed. You need 67 votes in the Senate to get it through and two-thirds of the House and then three quarters of the state legislature. Nobody thinks that will happen but the Senate will debate this for three days and have the up- and-down vote. It'll fail and conservatives will at least have the senators on record to show who is for it and who is against it.

PHILLIPS: Is that what it's about, seeing who is on record for or against? Everybody, even all the articles, everybody coming forward whether they're for or against it saying it's not going to pass so why so much attention?

RUDIN: Because it's politics, not politics in a bad way but it's politics. Democrats have done the same thing. They'll insist on a vote on raising the minimum wage, not that they'll have it or not, but to put Republicans in the uncomfortable position of having to vote for and against it. A tactic that's been used since the dawn of creation.

We saw in 2004 gay marriage was a big issue. A lot of people think the president won Ohio because of an anti-gay marriage amendment on the Ohio ballot and the president was re-elected because of what happened in Ohio so they think, given the fact that the evangelical, the base of the Republican Party is not happy over immigration, over the rampant spending in congress, over the Harriet Miers nomination, they feel there's something to keep them in line, otherwise they'll stay home in November and Republican control of congress is definitely in jeopardy.

PHILLIPS: You're a political analyst.

RUDIN: I am.

PHILLIPS: We all know that, Mr. Political Junkie. If you came face to face with the president would you say this is your issue. This is how you're going to rally conservatives before mid-term elections, you've got to tackle gay marriage. Is that what you would tell him or would you tell him something else?

RUDIN: But nothing else is working. If you look at the polls, the war is certainly not working. The rise in gasoline prices is not being abated at all. The president doesn't seem to have a plan to stop it. Nobody seems to have a plan to stop the rising gasoline prices and so given the fact that is a very important issue to them, it's probably a no harm foul.

If you look at polls, 50 percent of the American people still feel same-sex marriage is wrong whether they want a Constitutional amendment or not, that's something different. At least it will be a sop (ph) towards their base and they'll give what they promised and deliver on what they promised.

PHILLIPS: I'm getting the -- it's less than two minutes now before the president gets up there and gives his remarks. So if it doesn't pass, do you think it's going to come up again?

RUDIN: Well, it's like ANWR, the drilling in Iraq. It never goes away. Flag burning has been on the agenda since 1989, keeps failing, never gets enough to pass the constitutional muster, but they keep bringing it up. It's a political tactic. If it may have worked in 2004 in Ohio, it's questionable whether you keep going to the well that often it will still work but the Republicans need something to energize their base in November and this may be one way to do it.

PHILLIPS: I'm seeing the New Yorker cartoon. You have this list of when conservatives are in trouble this is the issue you tackle, check, check, check, gay marriage.

RUDIN: Well, what's the alternative? The war in Iraq. A standoff with Iran. A lot of things are not working given the fact that the president's poll numbers are hovering in the low 30s. Congress is even lower. Got to do something.

PHILLIPS:: Listen with me, Ken. Let's to talk about this after the president's speaks.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you all. Please be seated.

Good afternoon and welcome to the White House. It is a pleasure to be with so many fine community leaders, scholars, family organizations, religious leaders, Republicans, Democrats, independents. Thank you all for coming.

You come from many backgrounds and faith traditions, yet united in this common belief: Marriage is the most fundamental institution of civilization and it should not be redefined by activist judges.

(APPLAUSE)

You are here because you strongly support a constitutional amendment that defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman. And I am proud to stand with you.

(APPLAUSE)

This week, the Senate begins debate on the Marriage Protection Amendment. And I call on the Congress to pass this amendment, send it to the states for ratification, so we can take this issue out of the hands of overreaching judges and put it back where it belongs: in the hands of the American people.

(APPLAUSE)

The union of a man and woman in marriage is the most enduring and important human institution.

For ages, in every culture, human beings have understood that marriage is critical to the well-being of families. And because families pass along values and shape character, marriage is also critical to the health of society. Our policy should aim to strengthen families, not undermine them. And changing the definition of marriage would undermine the family structure.

America is a free society which limits the role of government in the lives of our citizens. In this country, people are free to choose how they live their lives. In our free society, decisions about a fundamental social institution as marriage should be made by the people.

(APPLAUSE)

The American people have spoken clearly on this issue through their elected representatives and at the ballot box.

In 1996, Congress approved the Defense of Marriage Act by large bipartisan majorities in both the House and the Senate, and President Clinton signed it into law.

And since then, 19 states have held referendums to amend their state constitutions to protect the traditional definition of marriage.

In every case, the amendments were approved by decisive majorities, with an average of 71 percent.

(APPLAUSE)

Today, 45 of the 50 states have either a state constitutional amendment or a statute defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman. These amendments and laws express a broad consensus in our country for protecting the institution of marriage. The people have spoken.

Unfortunately, this consensus is being undermined by activist judges and local officials who have struck down state laws protecting marriage and made an aggressive attempt to redefine marriage.

Since 2004, state courts in Washington and California and Maryland and New York have ruled against marriage laws. Last year a federal judge in Nebraska overturned a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, an amendment that was approved by 70 percent of the population.

And at this moment, nine states face lawsuits challenging the marriage laws they have on the books.

Some argue that defining marriage should be left to the states. The fact is, state legislatures are trying to address this issue.

(APPLAUSE)

But across the country, they are being thwarted by activist judges who are overturning the express will of their people. And these court decisions could have an impact on our whole nation.

The Defense of Marriage Act declares that no state is required to accept another state's definition of marriage. If that act is overturned by the courts, then marriage recognized in one city or state may have to be recognized as marriages everywhere else.

That would mean that every state would have to recognize marriage as redefined by judges in, say, Massachusetts or local officials in San Francisco, no matter what their own state laws or their state constitutions say.

This national question requires a national solution. And on an issue of such profound importance, that solution should come not from the courts but from the people of the United States.

(APPLAUSE)

An amendment to the Constitution is necessary because activist courts have left our nation with no other choice.

When judges insist on imposing their arbitrary will on the people, the only alternative left to the people is an amendment to the Constitution: the only law a court cannot overturn.

The constitutional amendment that the Senate will consider this week would fully protect marriage from being redefined. It will leave state legislatures free to make their own choices in defining legal arrangements other than marriage.

A constitutional amendment is the most democratic process by which our country can resolve this issue.

In their wisdom, our founders set a high bar for amending the Constitution: An amendment must be approved by two-thirds of the House and the Senate and then ratified by three-fourths of the 50 state legislatures.

This process guarantees that every state legislature and every community in our nation will have a voice and a say in deciding this issue.

(APPLAUSE)

A constitutional amendment would not take this issue away from the states, as some have argued. It would take the issue away from the courts, and put it directly before the American people.

(APPLAUSE)

As this debate goes forward, every American deserves to be treated with tolerance and respect and dignity.

(APPLAUSE)

On an issue of this great significance, opinions are strong and emotions run deep. And all of us have a duty to conduct this discussion with civility and decency toward one another.

All people deserve to have their voices heard, and a constitutional amendment will ensure that they are heard.

(APPLAUSE)

I appreciate you taking an interest in this fundamental issue. It's an important issue for our country to debate and to resolve. And the best way to resolve this issue is through a constitutional amendment, which I strongly support.

God bless.

(APPLAUSE)

PHILLIPS: Political editor for NPR, Ken Rudin, almost monitoring the president's remarks with me. Didn't sound very different from the last time he addressed this -- Ken.

RUDIN: No, I mean, he's made the case that it's up to the American people. The American people want this, and the way to do it is not through the state laws because these activist judges are overturning them, but it's through a constitutional amendment.

The point is, of course, is that you need -- as he points out, the president points out -- you need 2/3 of the Senate. You need 67 senators to vote for it. Right now Republicans have 55 senators. At least four or five have said they're very skeptical of a constitutional amendment. And you only have one Democrat, Ben Nelson of Nebraska. So I don't know how you get the 67 votes. But maybe all you need to do is put the Senate on record for or against a constitutional amendment on same-sex marriage, and let the voters make their decisions in November.

PHILLIPS: Ken Rudin, thanks so much.

RUDIN: Thanks a lot.

PHILLIPS: You can bet that we received a lot of e-mails. Three more now.

This coming from Pauline in Kansas: "I wish gay marriage was the biggest problem facing the country at this time, but it isn't. For Congress to waste one minute on gay marriage with the problems that need immediate attention is nothing but a political smokescreen."

Theo in Iowa says: "I'm strongly in favor of the amendment banning gay marriage. I strongly believe that marriage should be a lawful union between a man and a woman. I think it's wrong, as well as immoral, for states to try to redefine marriage in any way, shape or form."

And finally, Paul says: "I have two children, five grandchildren and four great grandchildren. I've been married a long time. I'm still trying to figure out why legalizing gay marriage would threaten my marriage or any other heterosexual marriage."

Thanks for your e-mails. Next hour of LIVE FROM starts right now. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com