Cornyn: Obama trying to 'divide the country' with marriage equality

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) says that President Barack Obama only announced support for same sex marriage because "he can't run on his record."

"He's trying to raise divisive issues up to solidify his base and to divide the country," Cornyn told CNN's Candy Crowley on Sunday. "We have two looming things that are going to happen in December and January. And the president is AWOL on both the largest tax increase in American history that will occur when about 130 different tax provisions expire on December 31 and a sequestration in January, which will be half a trillion dollars in what Secretary [Leon] Panetta, his own secretary of Defense, said would be disastrous cuts to the military."

"Where is the president?" the Texas senator continued. "He's trying to raise issues that aren't going to be resolved between now and then in an attempt to distract the country from his record."

President Barack Obama last week declared that “same sex couples should be able to get married.”

"I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors, when I think about members of my own staff who are incredibly committed, monogamous, same sex relationships who are raising kids together, when I think about those soldiers or airmen or Marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and, yet, feel constrained now that Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is gone because they’re not able to commit themselves in a marriage," the president told ABC's Robin Roberts.

"At a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think that same sex couples should be able to get married."

Watch this video from CNN's State of the Union, broadcast Mat 13, 2012.