I don’t have any trouble with that [repealing ‘Don’t Ask, ‘Don’t Tell] assuming it is done in a way that is respectful of the people in the military who have great difficulty with it. I don’t think there is any good answer to the question why shouldn’t gays and lesbians who want to serve their country be allowed to do it. [… Gay marriage is] going to happen [so why fight it?]
—John Bolton, former U.N. ambassador for George W. Bush’s administration and preliminary 2012 presidential candidate, on his gay rights support (although some of these positions aren’t exactly new: he never supported Bush’s attempt to ban gay marriage in the Constitution)
Curtis Jensen
Yeah, oh boy did Obama hedge his bets wrong in 2008 about Gay marriage. Hillary too. In fact all those Democrats threw us right under the bus on it, and still are pretty much cowards on the issue. I still wouldn’t vote for an ass-hat like Bolton though. he’s pretty much wrong on everything else. Even this is just luke warm, “fighting it is useless” advocacy.
Kieran
Sure, Neo-cons like this Bolton dope are willing to use whoever they can get as cannon fodder to fight their Holy Wars in the Middle East. Who cares if you’re gay or straight as long as you can kill “America’s enemies”.
Richard
So, what, we’re supposed to support Bolton because he claims he’d be for this stuff? If Satan himself were to materialize from thin air and promise untold riches in exchange for his bidding, would we bow to him as well?
Bareback Hussein Osama
Bolton hates Muslims who kill gays!
Matthew Rettenmund
He’d never reiterate those statements if he eventually ran, if he did he’d never get close to getting the nomination, and if he won he’d never, EVER do anything but work hard against gay rights because he’d have to dance with the party that brung him.
adman
For anyone out there thinking of supporting QNY republican candidates in hopes of gaining their full civil rights, here’s a virtual cosmo in your face! just for being a dunce.
Ivad Enuffofya
You know this site should be called conservaqweerty as the slant is always so god damn predictable. Yes the President needs to pull his finger out on gay rights legislation and do the things he promised us but you know if McCain had got in we probably be in a far worse situation. Just because a couple of Repuglicans pay lip service to the pro gay movement doesn’t mean that that the leadership would go the same way. McCain is so anti-gay is reminiscent of Nazi Germany. Be afraid because the alternative is a lot more scary!
randy
Although I agree that people like Bolton wouldn’t actually do anything for gay rights, just paying lipservice is a big leap. Remember, this is the party of ‘family values’ and it gets harder to justify discrimination when leading members of the party support gays.
It was easy for them to ignore Dick Cheney, after all his daughter is lesbian, so of course he supports gays (in theory). But when people like Bolton or Glenn Beck start coming around to our side on the marriage issue, then it’s harder for the party to keep its anti-gay stance.
Not saying they are suddenly going to shower us with our rights, but it forces the Dems into a tough spot, and it’s all going in the right direction.
hephaestion
Bolton’s position is NOT more pro-gay than Obama’s. Has Queerty lost its mind??
Kev C
Bolton has zero chance of being elected to anything, nor has he ever been elected to anything. He was a recess appointee to the UN with a record of being wrong and a douche.
Michael
A “preliminary candidate?” Where does one go to sign up for that?
Bareback Hussein Osama
@Ivad Enuffofya: That’s my girl!
dave
The writer of the headline put a question mark at the end; possibly to make us question ourselves and more importantly question thr lead footed Dems. Or maybe it was a typo?
truthteller
@Ivad Enuffofya:
Enough with the scare tactics already.
The Dems are a bunch of spineless cowards who will never do anything to support equality of gay Americans. The Repugnicans are worse but I’ll never vote for a Democrat because the scary Republicans are worse. To hell with that. Either they put up or they’ll be thrown out because I and many others will not vote for them.
We have to hit bottom before things get better and being scared, or listening to people like you, will only keep up us like a ball in the game that every party tosses around for their benefit. It’s time to man up and stop voting out of fear.
ousslander
someone comes out for us being able to marry and serve if we wish and gets nothing but shit. The best part are psychics who see the future and prognosticate that even if elected he’ll do nothing or worse. Too bad you didn’t have your powers when electing/worshipping Obama.
have a great holiday, off to bbq
tjr101
This is a column GOproud and the other CONServagays would be proud of, good job Queerty!
Bareback Hussein Osama
@tjr101: Yup! We should deport them all to Uganda to be killed!
Jared Alessandroni
These come up a lot – some Republican gets better grades than Obama (when, we’ll note, that Republican had no intention of running for office) on gay rights. The point isn’t to say that we should support Republicans, it’s to highlight the incongruity. I think the real question isn’t who is more liberal than Obama, it’s how can we get the gay agenda to be politically palatable for people as moderate as he is.
stephennyc
hmmm … another never-married fascist.
reality bites
John Bolton, Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee, maybe even a wild card run by Dick Cheney….
Wow, you Obama-haters have so many lovely options for 2012! Consider yourself warned, Mr. President…
whatever
Someone’s got to fight in his war with Iran. Bolton wants gays as cannon fodder. If Obama keeps us out of another misbegotten war in the Middle East, I don’t care if DADT is ever repealed.
whatever
@ousslander: Question: why do Republicans come out in favor of gay rights when they are no longer in office and have NO influence or power? Mehlman, the Cheneys, Ted Olsen, Bolton, Meghan McCain. Even Schwarzenegger is more pro-gay now that he is a lame duck. He vetoed a gay marriage bill a few times.
Name one Republican office holder on any level who is pro gay marriage. Just one.
ousslander
@whatever: @whatever: gov. huntsman of utah backs civil unions.
Of course we would have a lot more success if we used that term instead of marriage.
After a Dem. signed DOMA into law, what dem has tried to have it repealed or institute a federal civil unoin law? An with dems having a majority, what have they done with it concerning this?
A lot of republicans are slowing changing their minds and will influence newly elected ones.
Meghan McCain has never been elected to office.
whatever
Ok you have named zero current Republican office holders who are pro-gay marriage. Huntsman is now amabassador to china, btw, no longer governor.
whatever
And I know about McMeghan. My point is (which you proved)that no current elected republican supports gay marriage. there are all unlected or former office holders.
Queer Supremacist
@ousslander: So we should settle for less in the short term rather than fight for what is right in the long term. No thanks. One attempt at separate but equal was one too many.
ousslander
@whatever: You are right I couldn’t name one republican office holder who backs gay marriage. That does not mean every future office holder will feel and same and we should stop lobbying them to change their minds. Makes no sense to just preach to the choir, which hasn’t worked out for us to well either.
So since the dems have done nothing, will you stopp supporting them or do they get a pass?
@Queer Supremacist: Not all wars are won in one fell swoop. There are battles where we can in increments until we have the whole pie. Everything all at once or nothing at all, is how you see it? So if we can get civil unions now and then continue the fight, that is not acceptable? sounds more like cutting of your nocse to spite your face.
Queer Supremacist
@ousslander: If we get civil unions now, that is settling for less because the breeders will say “you got yours, you don’t need marriage.”
On one hand you say we should lobby for change and then you turn around and say we should take what we can get where are rights are concerned.
With human rights, it’s all or nothing. Period.
Stephen Marc
I adore Holton but doubt he could ever really win. He proves you can be an international hawk yet not be a hater. People thought Churchill was insane, too–‘Peace in our time,’ was the mantra. Bolton has one of the finest minds out there.