Gore backpedals on gay policy

By Associated Press, 01/07/00

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Under political pressure, Vice President Al Gore backpedaled Friday from his statement that he would require candidates for the Joint Chiefs of Staff to agree with his intention to let gays serve openly in the military.

``I did not mean to imply that there should ever be any kind of inquiry into the personal political opinions of officers in the U.S. military,'' Gore told reporters at a hastily convened news conference after a campaign rally at a Des Moines-area high school.

Gore, under fire from military brass and some of his own political allies, spoke two days after his original comments at a candidates' debate. The comments have sparked dissent from former members of the joint chiefs and from Sen. John Kerry, a Vietnam veteran campaigning for Gore in New Hampshire.

``What I meant to convey was I would not tolerate, nor would any commander in chief, nor would any president tolerate orders not being followed,'' Gore said.

The vice president's remarks Friday evening matched those that that Bill Bradley gave Wednesday night in New Hampshire, when the two men were asked if they would make agreement on gays in the military a litmus test for appointments to the joint chiefs.

Gore said Wednesday: ``I would insist before appointing anybody to the joint chiefs of staff that that individual support my policy and yes, I would make that a requirement.'' Gore has insisted he would allow gays to serve openly in the military.

On Friday night, Gore said, ``I didn't use that term, litmus test.''

Bradley, Gore's rival for the Democratic nomination, said Wednesday night that a litmus test was unnecessary because military officers follow orders from their commander in chief no matter what.

Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, was not the only Gore supporter who took issue with the vice president's on remarks Wednesday.

At the high school where Gore campaigned Friday with his daughter Karenna, Carolyn Klein, 59, said such a prerequisite for serving as a joint chief was misguided because people can work together even if they disagree.

``Not everybody agrees with me on my job either,'' the woman from Pella, Iowa said, adding she thought Gore was spending too much time on the question. ``I think that's the least of our issues right now, We have so many problems to work on that he's making too much of that.''

Kerry, a decorated Vietnam combat veteran, said Friday that he generally supports allowing gays to serve in the military, but that in some very rare situations, commanders should have flexibility to remove someone from a unit.

``Let's say tomorrow you're at war and you had an immediate mission need,'' he said. ``You're going to have to allow some kind of capacity for people to make those kinds of command judgments.''

Another military veteran, Arizona Sen. John McCain, called the Wednesday night pledge by Gore ``a disgraceful statement'' during a South Carolina GOP debate.

At the Pentagon, the Gore statements on the pledge of support were viewed as campaign talk.

``Candidates for political office are certainly free to do that and must do that in order to explain their views to the American people,'' said Rear Adm. Craig Quigley, a spokesman for Defense Secretary William Cohen said Thursday. ``But I would not speculate as to what that may or may not mean a year from now.''