Rush Limbaugh, February 19, 2004:

One thing that conservatives and Republicans know, is just leave this gay marriage issue alone and the Democrats will implode on it. They will destroy themselves.

Out there in the real world:

Statements from conservative leaders with access to President Bush indicate that his declaration of explicit support for a constitutional amendment that bans same-sex marriage is imminent.

“We heard last night that President Bush is going to come out very clearly advocating the passage of a federal marriage amendment (FMA) and he is looking for an opportunity to do that,” Glenn T. Stanton, policy analyst for the Christian group Focus on the Family (FoF), told the New York Times on Wednesday.

“It is not a question of if but when,” he added. …

Conservative activist Gary Bauer told the Times that he had been in meetings this week with senior presidential adviser Karl Rove, Dr. James C. Dobson, founder of FoF, and other conservative groups to develop a strategy for supporting the amendment.

Bauer said he expected the president to announce support for the FMA “sooner rather than later.”