al ▁Don ' t ▁ask , ▁don ' t ▁tell , ▁nor ▁try ▁to ▁change ▁it . ▁He ▁threatened ▁to ▁v eto ▁the ▁Matthew ▁She p ard ▁Act , ▁which ▁would ▁have ▁included ▁sexual ▁orientation ▁in ▁hate ▁cr imes . ▁ ▁While ▁President ▁Bush ▁had ▁always ▁been ▁on ▁record ▁as ▁oppos ing ▁the ▁legal ▁recognition ▁of ▁same - sex ▁mar ri ages , ▁the ▁ 2 0 0 4 ▁Republican ▁campaign ▁strategy ▁was ▁to ▁focus ▁on ▁" value ▁issues " ▁such ▁as ▁a ▁Federal ▁Mar riage ▁Am end ment , ▁that ▁would ▁prohib it ▁same - sex ▁cou ples ▁from ▁obtain ing ▁any ▁legal ▁recognition . ▁President ▁Bush ▁end ors ed ▁this ▁proposed ▁am end ment , ▁but ▁late ▁in ▁the ▁campaign ▁told ▁ABC ▁News ▁and ▁Larry ▁King ▁that ▁he ▁did ▁not ▁have ▁a ▁problem ▁with ▁state ▁legisl ators ▁en act ing ▁some ▁type ▁of ▁civil ▁un ions ▁legisl ation , ▁although ▁critics ▁charged ▁that ▁the ▁constitution al ▁am end ment ▁he ▁end ors ed ▁did ▁not ▁permit ▁recognition ▁of ▁such ▁un ions . ▁ ▁Bush ▁still ▁expressed ▁support ▁for ▁the ▁Federal ▁Mar riage ▁Am end ment ▁in ▁his ▁February ▁ 2 , ▁ 2 0 0 5 ▁State ▁of ▁the ▁Union ▁address ▁and ▁during ▁the ▁ 2 0 0 6 ▁mid term ▁election , ▁but ▁given ▁that ▁it ▁did ▁not ▁even ▁receive ▁majority ▁support ▁in ▁the ▁Senate , ▁has ▁ignored ▁this ▁issue ▁in ▁his ▁most ▁recent ▁public ▁statements ▁and ▁speech es . ▁ ▁Bush ▁was ▁the ▁first ▁Republican ▁president ▁to ▁appoint ▁an