Nader and the gay marriage issue. I had thought that both Kerry and Bush had plenty of motivation to try to keep the gay marriage issue from having much effect on the campaign. I thought they were both going to try to get away with saying blandly "marriage is between and man and a woman... blah blah ... leave it to the states." But Ralph Nader's entry into the Presidential race is going to undercut Kerry's ability to engage in a friendly little dance with Bush. Here's what Nader had to say in the 2000 campaign:

Saying that he is "way ahead of Al Gore" on liberal issues, Green Party presidential nominee Ralph Nader said ... that he supports civil unions and "equal rights, equal responsibilities" for homosexuals.

Nader ... said that he also supports gay adoptions. "The point is that we have to have a basic policy in this country of equal rights, equal responsibilities, regardless of race, gender, sexual preference," said Nader on NBC's "Meet The Press." "It's really interesting," added Nader.

Yes, it is "really interesting," especially for the Democrats. Kerry and Edwards had this response to Nader's announcement according to Reuters:

Both Democratic presidential contenders, front-runner John Kerry and rival John Edwards, told reporters they were not worried that a Nader candidacy would hurt them if they face Bush in November.

"I think my campaign is speaking to a lot of the issues Ralph Nader is concerned about," Kerry said. Edwards said "it will not impact my campaign" because he could attract many of the voters who might otherwise go to Nader.

Oh really? And how are the Republicans feeling today? Reuters "tried not to" editorialize in that news report:

Republicans tried not to celebrate the news. "Regardless of what Ralph Nader does, President Bush is going to be re-elected in November," Republican Party chief Ed Gillespie said.