Shouting Match Over Gay Marriage Amendment

After a Senate committee approved a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., strode out of the room, and Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., bid him “good riddance.”

AP:

WASHINGTON - A Senate committee approved a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage Thursday, after a shouting match that ended when one Democrat strode out and the Republican chairman bid him “good riddance.”

“I don’t need to be lectured by you. You are no more a protector of the Constitution than am I,” Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., shouted after Sen. Russ Feingold declared his opposition to the amendment, his affinity for the Constitution and his intention to leave the meeting.

“If you want to leave, good riddance,” Specter finished.

“I’ve enjoyed your lecture, too, Mr. Chairman,” replied Feingold, D-Wis., who is considering a run for president in 2008. “See ya.”

Link

photos: senate.gov

Sen. Russ Feingold (right) sparred with Sen. Arlen Specter over a committee vote on a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. Feingold voted against the ban, and Specter voted to send the issue to the full Senate, where it has little chance of passing.