center of a roiling national debate about what marriage is and should be -- a debate that increasingly appears likely to be a major part of this year's presidential campaign.

In response to more than 3,000 same-sex marriages certified in San Francisco and a recent Massachusetts court ruling requiring that state to offer such marriages, President Bush said Tuesday that he would push for a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman. Both leading Democratic presidential contenders, Sens. John Edwards of North Carolina and John Kerry of Massachusetts, have said they oppose gay marriage, but add that they will not support amending the constitution.

Meanwhile, gay rights groups, including the Triangle Freedom to Marry Coalition, assailed Bush's announcement Tuesday as an attempt to use the Constitution to discriminate against gays and lesbians.
