I can't vote for Kerry

How can I?

Kerry got off easy on gay marriage. When the subject of gay marriage came up early in the debate, Kerry suggested that George W. Bush is using the issue -- and his support for a federal constitutional amendment banning gay marriage -- as a decoy to avoid talking about jobs, the environment, the deficit, or Social Security. "This is a president who always tries to create a cultural war and seek the lowest common denominator of American politics," Kerry stated. He’s right, of course. But what about Kerry’s recently announced support for a Massachusetts constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages? It seemed, at one point, like moderator Larry King was on the verge of forcing Kerry to confront his simultaneous opposition to a federal amendment and support for a state amendment -- but in the end, King danced around the issue. When Kerry was pressed, it was only on his decision to vote against the federal Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. No one asked the simple question: If it’s wrong to ban gay marriages nationally, why is it okay to do so in your home state?

-- Boston Phoenix