"Guy Short, Musgrave's chief of staff, said Musgrave discussed her Federal Marriage Amendment with the president during a Nov. 24 trip aboard Air Force One to Fort Carson, where Bush visited troops and met with survivors of military personnel killed in Iraq. "She flew back to Colorado with him, and he indicated he would be supportive of the amendment and her language," Short said. A week earlier, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court had ordered the state legislature to either permit gay couples to wed or adopt a constitutional amendment prohibiting the practice. The legislature, unable to reach an agreement, has yet to respond. On Jan. 31, speaking to GOP House and Senate members attending a retreat in Philadelphia, Bush endorsed the amendment and, according to Short, expressed "support for Marilyn's language." Those confidential assurances by the president encouraged Musgrave and her staff to proceed. "We wanted to respect his timing, but we knew it was coming," Short said.