The New York Times article about Bush’s support for a proposed marriage amendment says:
Bush has indicated his support for a constitutional amendment in the past, including in a closed-door meeting with Republican lawmakers last month. At that session, according to one official in attendance, the president singled out Musgrave’s proposal as one he could support, but did not endorse it.
The amendment that Musgrave and other lawmakers are backing in the House says: “Neither this Constitution or the constitution of any state, nor state or federal law, shall be construed to require that marital status or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon unmarried couples or groups.”
Just two weeks ago, the Washington Post article quoted the Musgrave proposal this way:
Musgrave’s proposal, called the Federal Marriage Amendment, states: “Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution or the constitution of any State, nor state or federal law, shall be construed to require that marital status or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon unmarried couples or groups.”
(See also the official text of H.J. Res 56 [thanks to Robert Tagorda for the pointer], this article, and this site.) Has the first sentence been stripped since then from the Musgrave proposal? I hadn’t heard about that, and it would very much surprise me, but if it has, please do let me know about it. But if it’s still part of the proposal, then it seems to me odd that the Times didn’t quote the first sentence.
UPDATE: The New York Times article has been changed in various ways, and now omits any quote from the Musgrave draft amendment.
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