I have not received an apology. I thought this so-called apology, which I haven’t received but which was made public, had the air of being a defensive move on his part… made only in service of his attempt to get the nomination.
If [his original comment] were made today, it would be clearly disqualifying.”
Former U.S. Ambassador James Hormel, responding to Chuck Hagel’s apology for stating in 1998 that “aAmbassadorial posts are sensitive…and I think it is an inhibiting factor to be… openly aggressively gay like Mr. Hormel to do a better job.”
Source: Washington Post
Dakotahgeo
I think Mr. Hormel is spot on the mark. Hagel wants that job and is willing to do anything illegal to get it.
Mr. Enemabag Jones
@Dakotahgeo:
Yep. And what will Hagel do when he gets the job?
Cam
This wasn’t even about an issue like marriage.
Hagel didn’t even want somebody to have a job if they were gay. He has never taken that back, and has never apologized to Hormel.
He will do anything he can to get this job, not only will it make him important in the govt. again, but he will get all of those sweethart deals after he leaves the job from the defense contractors.
He is no different than the racist who plays nice with an H.R. specialist who is a minority interviewing them for a job they want.
Merv
This story makes it sound like Hormel rejected the apology out of hand. That’s not the case. Here is what Hormel wrote on his own Facebook page:
“Senator Hagel’s apology is significant–I can’t remember a time when a potential presidential nominee apologized for anything. While the timing appears self-serving, the words themselves are unequivocal–they are a clear apology. Since 1998, fourteen years have passed, and public attitudes have shifted–perhaps Senator Hagel has progressed with the times, too. His action affords new stature to the LGBT constituency, whose members still are treated as second class citizens in innumerable ways. Senator Hagel stated in his remarks that he was willing to support open military service and LGBT military families. If that is a commitment to treat LGBT service members and their families like everybody else, I would support his nomination.”
https://www.facebook.com/pages/James-C-Hormel/263356890367751
hephaestion
I hate how Queerty misleads readers. It would be nice if Hagel called Hormel and apologized over the phone, but it sounds to me like Hormel accepts Hagel’s apology.
I think Hagel will definitely be a pro-gay Secretary of Defense now. All straight people have evolved in the past 14 years, and Hagel says he is for justice & equality for gays now. If we don’t get him, we will surely get someone not-so-good. Few progressives want to be head of the military.
JohnQPublic
This attack on Hagel’s alleged homophobia is part of the Israeli lobbies’ efforts efforts to derail the Hagel nomination. The US neocons,many of whom are Jewish, and their allies in the Jewish lobbies, will use anything to try to dictate that a “true friend of Israel” is the next Secretary of Defense.Having failed with their ally Netanyahu to defeat Obama, they are now trying to control who gets in the President’s cabinet.
jwrappaport
@hephaestion: How is this article misleading? Also, your argument can be boiled down to this: Hagel isn’t good, but we’re certain to get someone worse, therefore we should take the bird in the hand.
I don’t buy it – justify that the other options are necessarily worse. Moreover, what evidence do you have that Hagel has evolved other than his “apology”? Also, “all straight people have evolved in the past 14 years”? Can you be morally or intellectually serious for a second?