“I propose that the government should get out of the business of marrying people and, instead, only give legal status to civil unions.”

“I contend the state ought to do its thing and provide legal rights for all couples who want to be joined together for life. The church should bless unions that it sees fit to bless, and they should be called marriages.”

“I propose that the government should get out of the business of marrying people and, instead, only give legal status to civil unions.”

“What if Barack Obama established a Presidential Advisory Committee that would meet once every couple of months, bringing together the former presidents for a conference in order to seek their collective wisdom? There is a wealth of experience in former presidents that generally goes untapped.”

“President Bush once said that marriage is a sacred institution and should be reserved for the union of one man and one woman. If this is the case - and most Americans would agree with him on this - then I have to ask: Why is the government at all involved in marrying people?”

“Marriage should be viewed as an institution ordained by God and should be out of the control of the state.”

“If marriage really is a sacred institution, then why is the government controlling it, especially in a nation that affirms separation of church and state?”

“But I think it's up to a local congregation to determine whether or not a marriage should be blessed of God. And it shouldn't be up to the government.”

“While a case can be made for intelligent design, I can't figure out why some Christians are so thrilled about that possibility. First of all, it doesn't prove there's a God. If anything, intelligent design lends support to some form of pantheism that defines God as immanent within nature.”

“But I contend that if we're providing total medical coverage for every man, woman, and child in Iraq, shouldn't we at least be doing the same thing for every man, woman, and child in the United States?”

“If a guy is intimidated by a woman in leadership, he has real problems with his own concepts of masculinity. That's a harsh statement, but I believe it to be true.”