[Linda]

In an interview in the July 13, 2008 *New York Times* John McCain stated, ''I think that we've proven that both parents are important in the success of a family so, no, I don't believe in gay adoption.''

In a follow-up article, also in the *Times*, on July 16, Michael Cooper wrote:

"When asked in the interview if he opposed gay adoptions even if the alternative was that the child remain in an orphanage, Mr. McCain--who, with his wife, Cindy, has an adopted daughter--said that he wanted to encourage adoption and make the process easier, but that adoptive parents should be mixed-sex, traditional couples.

"On Tuesday, as his statements were criticized by a number of gay rights organizations, his campaign clarified his remarks.

'''John McCain could have been clearer in the interview in stating that his position on gay adoption is that it is a state issue, just as he made it clear in the interview that marriage is a state issue,' Tucker Bounds, a campaign spokesman, said in a statement. 'He was not endorsing any federal legislation.'''

I sincerely doubt that any readers of the article were under the misapprehension that the senator even talking about, let alone endorsing, any federal legislation.

In a televised interview with George Stephanopoulos on July 27, a clearly uncomfortable Senator McCain tried to avoid the issue by saying that "it's not the reason that I'm running for president of the United States."

Of course, no candidate is running for president on any single issue, but voters have a right to know what a candidate's views are. It is clear that Senator McCain is against equality in the matter of adoption.

A clip of the interview with George Stephanopoulos can be seen at:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=llZuoMXpr4s
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Linda