Don't barter with issues

In a powerfully shortsighted move, a coalition of conservative Christian groups recently demanded President George W. Bush throw his immediate energy into a Constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. The coalition, called the Arlington Group, sent a confidential letter to the White House in which it threatened to withhold its support for Bush's proposed Social Security reform if Bush does not act on the amendment. But mincing these two hot button issues is a recipe for disaster, as both are too important to be used as bargaining chips. The Arlington coalition has expressed frustration with a sense that they have been betrayed by Bush, who stressed his support for the amendment during his re-election campaign but has since let it slip from his top priorities - Republican party leaders have dropped the issue from their agenda for the year entirely. The group needs to come to terms with the reality of campaigns, which is that politicians often make promises they cannot follow through with. In today's political reality, a gay marriage amendment could simply not be passed. With Democrats and some Republicans opposing it, the amendment does not stand a chance in the Senate. Most Republicans, including the amendments biggest supporter, say now is simply not the time. Whether or not they support gay marriage, lawmakers must not allow that debate to hinder discussion over social security. Some members of the coalition have said many of their members come from working- and lower-class families that once pledged support to the Democrats because of programs like Social Security but have since crossed over because of conservative social issues. They say these members do not support Bush's proposed privatized accounts but voted for him over the gay marriage amendment. These members will have to accept the reality of their decision to prioritize the issue of gay marriage over future of social programs. They bet their vote on gay marriage - time will tell if it was a shortsighted play. The truth of the matter is that the urgency of the Social Security debate places it logically at the top of Bushís priorities. How and if we will be supported in our retirement affects every American, while - and it may shock some conservative groups - Massachusetts has had gay marriage for several months and has yet to be smote from the earth. Meanwhile lawmakers are debating the future of the single most expensive government service in existence, on which millions of retirees rely. The decision on how and if to reform the program affects all Americans and will have historic implications - it should not be the result of political bartering.