Sharp-eyed Democrats in the U.S. Senate foiled a Bush Administration attempt to make President Bush's position a permanent lifetime position. "President for Life" clause stricken from gay marriage amendment, constitutional process to continue.The exact wording, which was buried in the proposed amendment to prevent same sex unions from being called marriages, is as follows:
The people acknowledge for President and Commander in Chief of the Army, George W Bush, the avenger and deliverer of his fellow citizens. The title of Majesty is conferred upon him, as well as upon his august spouse, the lady Laura Bush. With this title, George W Bush will be the President for life, and shall have the right to name his heir to the Presidency.
Democrats, and many Republicans, expressed outrage that the President would attempt to inject such language into the United States' Constitution.
"This is far, far worse than even the most paranoid of Democrats could have imagined," Senator Ted Kennedy spoke to the press. "We knew Bush was up to no good, but we thought his aims were only to exact revenge upon Iraq and Saddam. We now know his aims were far loftier."
Unfazed, the President's staff has admitted to writing the clause, but claims it was merely an intra-office joke that was mistakenly included in the published constitutional amendment text. The President has ordered an investigation, with the results to be due in December.
