Defense secretary
Robert Gates declined to say Sunday whether the
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff should apologize for
his remark that homosexual acts are immoral or whether
it was a slur on gay members of the armed forces.
Marine Corps general Peter Pace made the remark
last Monday in an interview with the Chicago
Tribune. The next day, following criticism from several
lawmakers and gay rights groups, Pace said he
regretted having stated a personal opinion but did not
apologize.
"I think General
Pace has made pretty clear that he wished he had
avoided his personal opinion," Gates said on Face the
Nation on CBS. The secretary said he did not plan
to ask Pace to do anything more in regard to the remark.
Asked if Pace's
comment was a slur on members of the armed forces, Gates
said: "I think I'll leave it at the fact that I don't think
this is an issue where personal opinion has any
place." As far as Pace apologizing, Gates said, "I
think we should just move on from this point."
Gates said Pace
is a man of enormous principle and integrity and
tremendous skill. "I think the American people are lucky to
have him as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff," he
said.
In the newspaper
interview, Pace said that while he supports the "don't
ask, don't tell" policy allowing gays to serve in the
military, he believes that "homosexual acts between
individuals are immoral and that we should not condone
immoral acts."
"I do not believe
that the armed forces of the United States are well
served by saying through our policies that it's OK to be
immoral in any way," he said.
Gates indicated
that he was not reviewing the "don't ask, don't tell"
policy, which President Clinton signed into law in 1994.
President Bush's national security adviser, Stephen Hadley,
said Sunday he is not aware of any plans by the White
House to review the policy. He told CNN's Late
Edition that the policy allows all Americans to
participate in the military, "and that's a good
thing." (AP)
