Good news on the marriage front! The Indianapolis Star brings us news that Indiana won't be debating a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage and civil unions. After last year's defeat in committee, Republican backers have decided it's just not worth the trouble.

Though the number of states adopting bans on same-sex marriage grows, the odds appear slim that Indiana lawmakers will give serious consideration to such a constitutional amendment next year.

It's not because social conservatives won't push for it again.

But after the effort died twice, the long and complicated process of amending the constitution would have to start all over again, and no one in the Statehouse seems prepared to go to the ramparts.

Even the Republican lawmaker who has pushed the measure in the past says he doesn't plan to do so in the 2009 session.

I'll have more in-depth analysis on this later today at Bilerico-Indiana.