Say "I do." Say it! Say it now!

Another item from the January 15 Toronto Star.

Washington - U.S. government officials say they are planning an extensive election-year initiative to promote marriage, especially among low-income couples, and they are weighing whether President George W. Bush should push the plan in his State of the Union speech next week.

For months, administration officials have been working with conservative groups on the proposal, which would provide at least $1.5 billion for training to help couples develop interpersonal skills that sustain "healthy marriages."

The officials said they believed the measure was especially timely now because they were facing pressure from conservatives eager to see the federal government defend traditional marriage, following a decision by the highest court in Massachusetts. The court ruled in November that gay couples had a right to marry under the state's constitution.

"This is a way for the president to address the concerns of conservatives and to solidify his conservative base," said a presidential adviser.

I'm just continually flabbergasted at how casually the Bushites acknowledge that politics rather than actual conviction drives the agenda, that it's all about how it benefits them. Is it that they're that arrogant that they think nothing can touch them, that insular that they think no one will care, or that cynical that they think that everyone everywhere thinks the same way?

Although it's not directly connected, this still reminds me of something I wrote several years ago to a friend about the difference between the Left and the Right. I think I'll dig it out and see if it's worth posting. If it is, it'll probably be up this evening or tomorrow morning.