FRC: State Dept., White House Ignoring 'Spirit' of DOMA

by Jim Brown and Jody Brown
October 23, 2006

(AgapePress) - - Inquiring conservative minds may have wanted to know what Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice meant by a recent comment she made -- but few details are forthcoming from the White House.

At the recent swearing-in ceremony of Dr. Mark Dybul -- an open homosexual -- as the nation's global AIDS coordinator, Secretary Rice referred to the mother of Dybul's homosexual partner as his "mother-in-law." Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council (FRC), among others, reacted to the secretary's remarks shortly thereafter, calling them "profoundly offensive" in light of the Bush administration's lukewarm endorsement of a federal marriage protection amendment. (See earlier article)

The issue surfaced, albeit briefly, during Friday's press conference with White House press secretary Tony Snow, when WorldNetDaily's Les Kinsolving asked: "How does this adhere to the President's belief in policy that marriage is between one man and one woman?" White House press secretary Tony Snow replied: "The Secretary said what she said, and she was showing due deference to the people involved [in the ceremony]."

Tom McCluskey, vice president for government affairs at FRC, admits he was taken aback by the White House's stance "because if they're not violating the letter of the law -- the Defense of Marriage Act that was passed in 1996 and signed by President Clinton -- they're certainly ignoring the spirit of the law," he says.

McCluskey explains that neither District of Columbia law, where the comments were made, nor federal law recognizes such unions. "Yet here you have both the State Department and the White House basically turning their backs on the law," he notes.

The FRC spokesman expresses concern that Rice's comments -- and the White House's defense of them -- may very well alienate the president's conservative base. For that reason, FRC is seeking an explanation from the State Department.

"We've already talked to [Secretary Rice's] office, and we're asking them what exactly is the protocol for such situations," says McCluskey, expressing doubt that it was a verbal gaffe. "We're talking about the Secretary of State here; every word she says, I'm sure, is carefully scrutinized. If she mispronounces a word, there could be a war," he points out. "So we want to know how this happened -- and if it did happen from some speechwriter trying to push his own agenda on the rest of the federal government, then that certainly needs to be addressed."

McCluskey adds that he "would hope that the White House would be supportive of federal law and reflect that in their employees."

A call to Secretary Rice's chief of staff, Brian Gunderson, seeking clarification went unreturned.