President Obama’s chief spokesman says the White House will let the Pentagon run the military, including making decisions about women in combat and what accommodations it should make for them – or for other members with other sexual orientations – regarding housing and training.
The responses from Press Secretary Robert Gibbs came to questions raised by Les Kinsolving, WND’s correspondent at the White House.
“Does our commander-in-chief believe that the New York Times’ extensive August the 16th report headlined ‘GI Jane Quietly Breaks the Combat Barrier’ is inaccurate, or does he believe women should be in combat?,” Kinsolving asked.
“Those are decisions that are left appropriately to the Pentagon,” said Gibbs.
“But he’s the commander-in-chief,” Kinsolving said.
“He is, and he has a very good secretary of defense and an extraordinarily capable military that, Lester, I know you’re proud of,” Gibbs said.
“Does he agree with Time’s reporter Lizette Alvarez, ‘Women need separate bunks and bathrooms,’ or does he believe that neither gender, nor any kind of sexual orientation should have separate living facilities?” Kinsolving asked.
“I’m going to, again, leave those very appropriate and important decisions up to the people that make those for a living,” Gibbs said.
Sexual orientation in the military was the subject of a commentary by Kinsolving a few weeks ago.
He noted the multitude of promotions for sodomy in the New York Times and the Washington Post, as well as the political statement by ex-Gen. John Shalikashvili of the Army endorsing homosexuality in the military.
His opinion conflicted with that of 1,100 flag and general officers who wrote to Congress that they opposed any bill that might seek to overturn the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy from military procedure.
Tommy Sears, executive director for the Center for Military Readiness, told the Washington Times: “Congress passed the law making homosexuals ineligible for military service to maintain good order, discipline, unit cohesion and morale. All of these purposes remain as vital today as they were when the law was passed 16 years ago.
“Forced cohabitation in military conditions that offer little or no privacy would oblige people to live with persons who may be sexually attracted to them,” he said.
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WND Staff