Buchanan Attacks Gay General For Not Having ‘The Courage’ To ‘Come Out’ While Still Serving
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:
Considering that just last week Buchanan penned a column lamenting that “homosexual sodomy” is no longer “a crime” but “a lifestyle,” it’s not surprising to see him focus his attack on Kerr’s experience as a gay soldier. Regardless of the homophobia involved, however, Buchanan’s point is non-sensical.
What Buchanan neglects to note is that unlike the lawmakers, Kerr would have faced real consequences for speaking out against “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” If Kerr were to “tell” about his sexual identity while serving, he would have joined the roughly 11,000 servicemembers that have been forced out of service since the policy was implemented in 1993.
So, while the right wing attacks Hillary Clinton (even though the Clinton campaign had nothing to do with Kerr’s question), and everybody criticizes CNN, only Pat Buchanan attacks the retired general who served his country for 43 years.
UPDATE: Over at TAPPED, Adele M. Stan notes how at the debate Gen. Kerr was “booed by an audience of Republicans” when he stood up to re-ask his question.
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Buchanon got exposed for his racist sexist neo nazi neokkkon ideas on Maddow.....he must have had to skulk back to his denizen in order to get some new material.
November 29th, 2007 at 7:27 pmThe always accurate Fox labels the General a colonel! How shocking from that paragon of accuracy.
November 29th, 2007 at 7:29 pmBuchanan is encouaraging the General to break U.S. law by violating the "Don't ask don't Tell" statute. Why is Buchanan encouraging law breaking?
November 29th, 2007 at 7:31 pmWhy is Buchanan encouraging law breaking?
Comment by Dave de Give — November 29, 2007 @ 7:31 pm
Because he's a Republican?
November 29th, 2007 at 7:32 pmOnce again, attack the messenger and run from the message--in this case a question about gays in the military. Do Buchanan and the GOP have anything for America except war, death, debt, and hate? Buchanan should re-read his Karl Rove email about not getting too far in front of matters sexual--a real losing issue for "conservatives" these days.
November 29th, 2007 at 7:32 pmDid Patty Buchanan ever serve in the military? I didn't think so.
Shut up Patty!
...Rowdy!
November 29th, 2007 at 7:34 pmVietnam-era Vet
buchanan is nothing but a loud mouth bush bot...His only claim to fame is being able to out shout and interupt every conversation he's in..Don't think he is human, he is not and will run to the black house for new batteries often...Just a putz...
November 29th, 2007 at 7:37 pmPat needs to have that same conversation with his sister and former campaign manager Bay.
November 29th, 2007 at 7:42 pmBuchanan needs a zipper in his face. STFU Patti-you cowardly chickenhawk.
Courtesy of another Vietnam veteran(me).
November 29th, 2007 at 7:59 pmBuchanan is, always has been, and will always be dumber than a bag of hammers.
He hasn't the courage to be human.
November 29th, 2007 at 8:00 pmIf the Republicans are afraid of questions from a gay soldier, how will they EVER stand up to al Qaeda?
November 29th, 2007 at 8:02 pmIf the Republicans are afraid of questions from a gay soldier, how will they EVER stand up to al Qaeda?
Comment by Badmoodman — November 29, 2007 @ 8:02 pm
when have they ever done that? besides when they were delivering funding and weapons to them, that is? Saddam, meet Donnie Rumsfeld.
November 29th, 2007 at 8:09 pmBuchanan Attacks Gay General For Not Having ‘The Courage’ To ‘Come Out’ While Still Serving
November 29th, 2007 at 8:14 pmBuchanan attacks general for respecting the law? Is Buchanan that much of a gay hater that he is angry because Gen. Keith Kerr remained within the law therefore did not have legal action taken against him for being gay? What else could it be?
Let's see -- so far as a result of Kerr asking his question at the Republican debate, I have heard that Kerr was a Hillary plant, Kerr was given preferential treatment by being allowed to speak at the site, and now that Kerr has no guts because he obeyed "don't ask don't tell" by not telling.
What I would really like to know is how the candidates answered his question. Is there some sort of problem with this? Can the Republicans answer this? Or is their only response to distract from the issue?
November 29th, 2007 at 8:20 pmWhat I don't get it why Pattsy Boocannon doesn't come out and admit he's a closeted idiot.
November 29th, 2007 at 8:21 pmHaven't we learned something in the past few years?....that the more upset and bothered one is about others gayness, the more likely they too are gay?
November 29th, 2007 at 8:40 pmWhat I don’t get it why Pattsy Boocannon doesn’t come out and admit he’s a closeted idiot.
Comment by RUCerious — November 29, 2007 @ 8:21 pm
The door busted off that closet years ago...
November 29th, 2007 at 8:47 pmBuchanan is right about one thing. There is an element of fraud here. You have a fraud chickenhawk coward who never served in the military questioning the courage of a man who rose all the way from Private to Brigadier General. Kerr was former Special Forces and served in the military for 43 years.
November 29th, 2007 at 9:01 pmGive me a freakin' break already! As far as Buchanan is concerned, Kerr is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. No matter what Kerr might have chosen to do, Buchanan would most assuredly have come up with a reason to vilify him for it -- and what's more, although there's no question in my mind that he would deny it vehemently if anyone were to confront him with it, I strongly suspect that Buchanan is quite well aware of this fact. (Aesop said it best -- "any excuse serves a tyrant"). If Kerr had come out while still actively serving, Buchanan would undoubtedly have criticized him for it and probably accused him of using his orientation as a handy excuse to leave the military due to cowardice -- but since Kerr waited until leaving the service before coming out, Buchanan is criticizing him for his so-called "lack of courage". Buchanan can't possibly be ignorant of the fact that Kerr would have been forced out of the military had he chosen to come out while serving his country. Has Buchanan ever served in the military?!? I doubt it -- most of the neocons and their supporters haven't.
November 29th, 2007 at 9:28 pmRe Bluestocking:
November 29th, 2007 at 9:32 pmYep. The same way they attack generals who retire so they can speak out against the iraq occupation.
It boggles my mind that people who may be otherwise of normal intellect go bat-sh*t crazy in regards to homosexuality.
November 29th, 2007 at 9:50 pmI rarely, if ever, agree with Buchanan, but I accept that he is not a stupid man -- yet in discussing homosexuals, he leaves his brain out of it. And then he puts the general in a no-win situation.
I don't think Buchanan has engaged a thought process.
wonder why he didn't attack Ted Haggerty for not coming out while HE was still serving the Lord....? (just a thought)
November 29th, 2007 at 11:00 pmWhat a funny thing for Pat to say! If Buchanan is so damn courageous, why are we are we still waiting for him to "come out"?
AF
Andrew Sullivan Is A Fraud
November 29th, 2007 at 11:53 pm"Hubris and Ideology", indeed.
November 30th, 2007 at 5:19 amI wonder if Buchanan's reactive arthritis bothers him now that he isn't eligable for service.
November 30th, 2007 at 6:15 amWhy can't Republicans just admit they're gay?
"In 1984 I watched George W. Bush enthusiastically and expertly perform a homosexual act on another man, one Victor Ashe."
November 30th, 2007 at 6:34 amhttp://bushssecretlifein84.tripod.com/
The reality is that Keith Kerr could not keep his job if he came out during his service to our great nation. The "Don’t ask don’t tell" legislation was the biggest disappointment for the Clinton Administration. I only hope Hilliary can fix it when she gets in.
Regardless of all the policies and protection afforded to the GLBT community (pun intended), any employer can and will find a way to terminate an employee if they feel it’s not in their best interest or morality to keep them.
November 30th, 2007 at 7:16 amWHY does ANY of the media still let this fool talk?? He's a moron AND a gutless flash in the pan..
Zooey (#10) got it right about the level of his IQ......
ANOTHER ONE of the losers!!!
November 30th, 2007 at 9:33 amWhy isn't anyone talking about Duncan Hunter's statement that "Forcing the socially conservative members of the military to serve with openly gay colleagues would hurt unit cohesion."
So Duncan, you are admitting that it's the prejudiced conservatives would be the source of the problem, not the gays?
Wow, that sounds like the pre-1947 argument: "Forcing the conservative white Southerners to serve with negroes would hurt unit cohesion."
November 30th, 2007 at 9:50 amif he had come out way back when he would've been discharged!
"cohesion" is the new buzzword, it seems...
November 30th, 2007 at 11:40 am