Bush: Marriage requires "clarity," amendment to U.S. Constitution
"After more than two centuries of American jurisprudence and millenia of human experience, a few judges and local authorities are presuming to change the most fundamental institution of civilization," President Bush said this morning. "Their action has created confusion on an issue that requires clarity."

And that clarity can come only one way, he said. "If we are to prevent the meaning of marriage from being changed forever, our nation must enact a constitutional amendment to protect marriage in America."

This news is breaking as Weblog hits the posting deadline, but you'll shortly be able to read the full text of Bush's remarks at the White House web site. Expect Bush's endorsement, which did not mention any specific wording for such an amendment, to be a part of the White House Press Briefing at 12:30 Eastern time.

In the meantime, here's a load of articles on gay marriage, homosexuality, and related topics.

More on the Federal Marriage Amendment:

• Marilyn's amendment | The first-term congresswoman who's taking the lead against same-sex marriage (The Weekly Standard)
  
  
• Incidents and accidents | Hints and allegations about the Federal Marriage Amendment (Ramesh Ponnuru, National Review Online)
  
  

Gay marriage:

• Same-sex 'marriage' a thicket for Bush | President Bush, who has hesitated to support a constitutional amendment against homosexual "marriage," is tangled in an issue that could cost him re-election, political analysts and prominent Republicans say (The Washington Times)
  
  
• Gay marriage: Until order, chaos | Now that it has started, the frenzied legal debate over gay marriage will not end with a ruling by any old California trial judge, or by any old California Supreme Court justice, or even by a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court itself (CBS News)