McCain disagrees with Prop 8 court ruling

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz) (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) told the Blade on Thursday he disagreed with a recent court decision overturning Proposition 8 in California and didn’t rule out backing a renewed push for the Federal Marriage Amendment to reverse the ruling.

“Obviously, I didn’t agree with it,” McCain said. “My position has always been that marriage is an institution of — between one man and one woman.”

During his presidential campaign in 2008, McCain came out in favor of Prop 8 when the initiative was before California voters. The measure passed in California, ending same-sex marriage in the Golden State,  on the same day McCain lost the election to President Obama.

Asked whether he thinks backing the Federal Marriage Amendment, or a U.S. constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage, would be an appropriate response to the ruling, McCain said he hasn’t decided what action at this time is appropriate.

“I haven’t looked at the impact of the decision yet as far as what, if any, action needs to be taken,” he said. “I’ve been on the immigration issue, the defense authorization bill and this START treaty, so I really have not had an opportunity to talk to my people about it.”

The uncertainty from McCain over support for the Federal Marriage Amendment is different from his opposition to the measure in previous years. McCain voted against the proposed constitutional amendment when it came to the Senate floor in 2004 and 2006.

“The constitutional amendment we’re debating today strikes me as antithetical in every way to the core philosophy of Republicans,” McCain reportedly said in 2004. “It usurps from the states a fundamental authority they have always possessed and imposes a federal remedy for a problem that most states do not believe confronts them.”