WASHINGTON, July 14: President George Bush on Wednesday failed in his attempt to amend the constitution to ban same-sex marriage when a divided US Senate blocked the measure, virtually killing it for at least this election year.

On a vote of 48-to-50, proponents fell 12 short of the needed 60 in the 100-member Senate to clear a procedural hurdle. Democrats accused Republicans of pushing the measure merely to rally their base for the elections.

"We all know what this issue is about," declared Sen. Edward Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat. "It's not about how to protect the sanctity of marriage. It's about politics - an attempt to drive a wedge between one group of citizens and the rest of the country, solely for partisan advantage." -Reuters