In an interview with Katie Couric, Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) said that one of her friends who is gay “happens to have made a choice” that Palin would not have made herself. In a statement to ThinkProgress, Scott Tucker, the communications director for the Log Cabin Republicans — a group that endorsed Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) — defended Palin, though he emphasized that his group would have to “continue educating all Republicans” about the fact that homosexuality is not a choice:

In this interview, Gov. Palin expressed her support for a gay friend of 30 years and reiterated that she doesn’t judge people. She said she’s ‘not going to judge Americans and the decisions they make in their adult personal relationships.’ Frankly, I think that’s where most Americans are in their attitude toward gay and lesbian people.

Gov. Palin didn’t ramble uncomfortably about a ‘lifestyle’ or use the opportunity to reiterate her opposition to marriage for gay couples. She didn’t use the opportunity to express opposition to any gay rights legislation. Gay Democrats are pouncing on her use of the word ‘choice’ in talking about gay people. But, when asked the direct question by Charlie Gibson in a previous interview whether people choose to be gay, she said she didn’t know. Again, I think that’s where the vast majority of Americans are on this issue-they simply don’t know whether people choose to be gay.

We know that people don’t ‘choose’ their sexual orientation and we’ll continue educating all Republicans about that issue.

Our guest blogger is Dr. Clark Newhall, MD/JD of Salt Lake City, UT, one of over 2,700 doctors from around the country who signed an open letter calling on John McCain to release his medical records.

In a time of increasingly complex and difficult issues both here and abroad, it is imperative for Americans to know the health of the candidates. Yet John McCain has never released his full medical records and he has severely restricted the public’s ability to judge his health. When McCain publicly “disclosed” his medical history, what he really did was provide a carefully selected set of medical records (1,173 pages in all) to 20 carefully selected reporters who were allowed three hours to review that massive pile of paper. They were not allowed to make copies and not allowed to consult with medical experts during the review. With this kind of pseudo-review, it is certain that we cannot know much about McCain’s health.

What we do know is concerning: The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology reviewed the cancer taken off McCain’s head in 2000 and found it to be “highly suggestive of a metastasis of malignant melanoma and may represent a satellite metastasis.” Even with the most optimistic scenario, if McCain has a metastatic malignant melanoma, he has only a 38% chance of surviving past 2010.

McCain had a melanoma taken off his head in 2000 but he has had several other melanoma cancers removed before that. It is not difficult to believe that a previous melanoma could have been the metastasis to the temple that was removed in 2000. If John McCain has a recurrence of melanoma, the attendant surgery with the possibility of chemotherapy is likely to be debilitating.

For these reasons, it is imperative that Americans demand the full and unconditional release of John McCain’s medical records.

After turning down an interview with the Gay History Project earlier this month, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) recently provided written answers to the Washington Blade, which “marks the first known time a Republican presidential nominee has agreed to an interview with a gay publication.” Though, as Marc Ambinder notes, it was really “a quasi-interview” since “the campaign drafted answers with McCain’s assent.”

Asked whether he would “support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) if elected president” — which passed the House last year and stalled in the Senate — McCain said that he supports “the concept of non-discrimination in hiring for gay and lesbian people,” but not legislation that would protect against discrimination:

BLADE: Will you support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act if elected president?

MCCAIN: Gay and lesbian people should not face discrimination in the workplace. I’ve always practiced that in my hiring. I select the best people, regardless of their sexual orientation. I support the concept of non-discrimination in hiring for gay and lesbian people.

However, we need to make sure legislation doesn’t lead to a flood of frivolous lawsuits or infringe on religious institutions. What I can say now is I will give careful consideration to any legislation that reaches my desk, and confer with Congress before making decisions.

McCain’s campaign says that he would “give careful consideration” to ENDA legislation if he were president, but his record indicates he would not support it. In 1996, when the Senate rejected ENDA, McCain was the deciding vote that defeated it. In November 2007, McCain reiterated his opposition, saying that it would “open the door to endless litigation and court cases.”

McCain’s support in “concept” for non-discrimination towards the LGBT community is similar to his support in “concept” for equal pay for equal work. In both cases, McCain says he supports the “concept,” but he opposes any legislation to make the “concept” a reality.

Pam’s House Blend has more from McCain’s Blade interview.

During an interview with NPR this morning, John McCain said he routinely turns to Sarah Palin for foreign policy advice. “I’ve turned to her advice many times in the past,” McCain said in response to a question about whether Palin would be one of his foreign policy advisers. But McCain’s message was contradicted by one of his surrogates, Gov. Haley Barbour (R-MS):

Obviously in a McCain administration she would not have much of a role in foreign policy because of his depth of experience and the people around him. … But in a McCain administration, her role substantively is gonna be primarily – in my opinion – about energy.

Watch video of Barbour’s remarks here.