General Pace
sidelined as Joint Chiefs chairman

The Bush administration sidelined Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Friday, announcing plans to replace him as the nation's top military officer rather than reappoint him and risk a Senate confirmation struggle focusing on the Iraq war.

''It would be a backward-looking and very contentious process,'' Defense secretary Robert Gates said at a Pentagon news conference where he announced he would recommend Adm. Mike Mullen to replace Pace. Mullen is the chief of naval operations, and Gates praised him for having the ''vision, strategic insight, and integrity to lead America's armed forces.''

At the same time, he made it clear that he had made his decision with reluctance, saying he wished it had not been necessary.

''I am no stranger to contentious confirmations, and I do not shrink from them,'' Gates said at a hastily arranged news conference.

''However, I have decided that at this moment in our history, the nation, our men and women in uniform, and General Pace himself would not be well served by a divisive ordeal."

As chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for two years and vice chairman for the previous four, Pace has been involved in all of the key decisions leading to the 2002 invasion of Iraq and the planning for the post-Saddam Hussein era.

Pace caused controversy earlier this year when he was quoted in a March 12 Chicago Tribune interview as saying that while he supports the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy because it allows gays to serve--though not openly--"I believe 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." Though he later expressed regret for making the remarks, he has never apologized for them.

"We may never know if concerns about General Pace's homophobic remarks played a role in his decision not to seek reconfirmation, but it seems reasonable to assume that the controversy he ignited weighed on his mind," Steve Ralls, director of communications for the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, told The Advocate. "In the wake of Pace's resignation, SLDN urges President Bush to appoint a new chairman who values the talents and contributions of every service member, regardless of sexual orientation. We hope the next chairman will embrace the commitment to fairness expressed by former Joint Chiefs chairman John Shalikashvili and leave behind General Pace's legacy of divisiveness and disrespect."

However, in a statement released Friday night, SLDN notes a report by CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr that Pace's departure may indeed be tied to his antigay remarks. "Congressional leaders, in warning Secretary of Defense Gates that Pace's remarks would be an obstacle to his confirmation, have sent a clear message that antigay prejudice has no place in public policy debates," said Sharra E. Greer, SLDN director of law and policy. "General Pace's remarks are still fresh in the minds of lesbian, gay, and bisexual military personnel and were disrespectful to their commitment and service to our country. Those who held General Pace responsible for his irresponsible remarks should be commended for taking a courageous stand in favor of our military personnel."

The war, now in its fifth year, has claimed the lives of more than 3,500 U.S. troops and has become intensely unpopular with the American public. The new Democratic majority in Congress has shown an eagerness to challenge Bush's handling of the conflict, and the president has already vetoed one bill that included a troop withdrawal timetable. (AP, with additional reporting by The Advocate)