Bush mines anti-gay mood, respectfully

Days after backing a constitutional ban on gay marriage, US President George W. Bush sought the high ground in the divisive election-year debate on Friday by asking both sides to avoid inflammatory rhetoric.

Gay marriage, first propelled to the foreground by a Massachusetts court endorsement and thousands of same-sex weddings in San Francisco, has overtaken abortion and gun control as the leading social issue for US voters this year, a poll suggested.

"This is a sensitive debate and it is important that people hold true to their beliefs without condemning anybody else," Bush said while meeting with reporters in the Oval Office alongside German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.

"I call upon all sides in the debate to conduct themselves with dignity and honor and respect," he added.

After months of pressure from social conservatives, Bush said on Tuesday that a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage was needed to prevent a weakening of "the good influence of society."

Democrats and gay-rights activists blasted the president's decision as an election-year ploy that would use the US Constitution as an instrument for constraining civil liberties.

On Friday, the same-sex marriage trend spread to the small town of New Paltz, New York, where a dozen gay couples wed as protesters held signs saying "Gay Marriage is Morally Wrong" and "Pray for Them."

The Washington-based Pew Research Center released a new survey showing that 40 percent of US voters feel they cannot vote for a candidate who disagrees with them on the issue.

That was more than 34 percent of voters who saw abortion as an electoral litmus test, and 32 percent who felt the same way about gun control.

Pew said gay marriage was a make-or-break issue mainly for opponents of the practice, especially conservative Republicans, evangelical Christians and voters aged 65 or older.

The poll, which showed about 65 percent in opposition to gay marriage overall, was based on responses from 1,149 registered voters.