The whole point of the marriage amendment b.s. in the Senate this week is appeasing the Christianist base of the GOP. At least that's the theory. It has its costs. By spear-heading the FMA again, Bush has alienated a vast swathe of socially inclusive suburbanites, the veep's daughter, every gay person and many of their families, libertarians, constitutional conservatives and principled federalists. But he's won over the fire-breathers, right? It turns out: Not even them any more. When you've lost LaShawn Barber, things aren't looking too good. When the Family Research Council, Jonah Goldberg, Peggy Noonan and Laura Bush think the president is being cynical, the entire Karl Rove shell-game is looking a little hollow. Meanwhile, check out the latest Gallup poll on what people think the priorities for their government ought to be. Gay marriage doesn't even make the one percent mark. When the base is really mad about the spending explosion and the immigration mess, Karl Rove condescendingly spoon-feeds them an amendment they cannot win. The first push for the FMA was a tragedy. This second time is a farce. Even its supporters know it.