Buchanan Attacks Gay General For Not Having ‘The Courage’ To ‘Come Out’ While Still Serving

[Hissyspit]

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/11/29/buchanan-attack-gay-general

Buchanan Attacks Gay General For Not Having ‘The Courage’ To ‘Come Out’ While Still Serving

During last night’s Republican presidential debate, Retired Brig. Gen. Keith Kerr, an openly gay man, asked the candidates why they “think that American men and women in uniform are not professional enough to serve with gays and lesbians.” Soon after the debate, controversy erupted around Kerr’s question when it was revealed that the general is actually a co-chair of “Veterans and Military Retirees for Hillary Committee” and a steering member of “LGBT Americans for Hillary.”

Since the debate, CNN has rightly been criticized for its “huge mistake” in not properly vetting the question. But, despite CNN’s labeling mistake, the solid, non-partisan question asked by Kerr is one that presidential candidates should address.

On Fox News today, however, conservative pundit Pat Buchanan personally attacked for Kerr for merely asking the question, saying that he “obviously did not have the courage” to “come out of the closet” while he was still serving in the military:

There’s an element of fraud here. When the general did not identify himself as a fierce partisan of Hillary Rodham Clinton and presented himself simply as a military man who had served and was gay. And who obviously did not have the courage, frankly, when he was in the military to come out of the closet and say I’m gay. And to attack the Republicans for lacking the courage to take a position he was unable to take, I think makes him look rather bad.

Watch it:

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[MadMaddie]

1. That's great Pat....if he would have come out of the closet

while he was in he would have lost his retirement...

Hey Pat the witch hunt is still going on for gays in the military...why don't you join the witch hunt...rotten bastard

[jody]

2. In addition to enlisted time, Kerr served 26 yrs as a reserve officer and 10 yrs in California's

unorganized militia, the California State Military Reserve.

There is no indication that his service was not outstanding in every respect.

[kestrel91316]

3. Buchanan appears to be unaware that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" means

what it says. Soldiers are essentially forbidden to "come out" and if they do they are basically FIRED. If not court martialed.

Is he really this stupid?? Oy.

[TwilightGardener]

4. Made it to Brigadier General--gee, he must have been a terrible soldier, and

served without distinction or honor. That hidden gayness must have really made a difference to the Army.

[jody]

5. Agree re BG however his title was not for active duty, reserve, or guard duty. He was appointed BG

in the CSMR, California's implementation of the "unorganized militia", see 10 USC 311.

[muntrv]

6. Pukannon obviously did not have the courage to even enlist in the military.

[AX10]

7. Had Kerr come out during his tenure...

he would have lost his job to say the least.

I see that the Holocaust denying Klansman is on Fox "News" these days.