Well, last night (after I went to bed) Kos wrote Obama also can't say: "Homosexuality is not immoral" mentioning that Obama couldn't bring himself to make what seems to be a straight forward statement of principles we all should embrace, at least since the Enlightenment: Homosexuality isn't immoral and we shouldn't judge other people's love.
It looks like Kos' take was based on Newsday's Spin Cycle.
Andy Towle of Towleroad reports a bit more than Kos, but they essentially were both riffing off Newsday.
Newsday caught Obama as he was leaving the firefighters convention and asked him three times if he thought homosexuality is immoral.
Answer 1: "I think traditionally the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman has restricted his public comments to military matters. That's probably a good tradition to follow."
Answer 2: "I think the question here is whether somebody is willing to sacrifice for their country, should they be able to if they're doing all the things that should be done."
Answer 3: Signed autograph, posed for snapshot, jumped athletically into town car.
Earlier yesterday Kos had taken Hillary to the woodshed for not being capable of saying homosexuality is not immoral in Hillary unable to say homosexuality isn't "immoral".
Kos quoted an interview between Hillary and Jake Tapper of ABC News.
I also asked her about the comments by General Peter Pace that homosexuality is "immoral."
[Clinton dodges the question with a discussion of 'Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell', so ... asked again]
But is it immoral?
"Well I'm going to leave that to others to conclude," she said. "I'm very proud of the gays and lesbians I know who perform work that is essential to our country, who want to serve their country and I want make sure they can."
I can't even believe that we're discussing this in 2007! And I can't believe Obama and Hillary can't bring themselves to make a straight forward statement ... that the first thing out of their mouth isn't "No!"
Luckily, one of the Big Three candidates can do so: John Edwards.
Yesterday Edwards was interviewed by Wolf Blitzer on his show The The Situation Room:
BLITZER: Let's talk about General Peter Pace, the chairman of the joint chiefs. He suggested today, his own personal opinion, homosexuality, he said, was immoral. As a result, don't change the don't ask, don't tell policy.
First of all, in your opinion, is homosexuality immoral?
EDWARDS: I don't -- don't share that view."
Wow, a straight forward answer!
Earlier, on 4 February 2007 on Meet the Press, Edwards spoke the words that ought to be obvious to all Democrats and good people everywhere.
MR. RUSSERT: ... do you believe that homosexuality is a sin?
SEN. EDWARDS: No.
On similar issues:
- While in the Senate Edwards wrote and sponsored a bill in the Senate to make "sexual orientation" a protected category in employment discrimination.
- Edwards is against "Don't Ask Don't Tell" and for allowing openly gay men and lesbian women serve in the US Armed Forces.
Again, Andy Towle of Towleroad reports:
In response to the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, a bill calling for the repeal of the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy which was proposed by a bipartisan congressional group and Rep. Marty Meehan earlier today, Senator John Edwards released the following statement:
"It is long past time to end the military's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy and to allow openly gay men and women to serve in the military. It is critical to our national security that we have the best people in our military. Gay men and women have continually served our country with honor and bravery, and we should honor their commitment and never turn away anyone who is willing to serve their country because of their sexual orientation. This is an issue of fundamental fairness – and our military ought to treat everyone fairly. I applaud Congressman Meehan on his important legislation."
- Edwards is for Civil Unions.
OK, so for the purist, he's not perfect (he's against gay marriage -- though he stated on his Announcement Tour that he thought his daughter Cate's generation (she's in her early-mid 20s would be more than fine with it), though no one is. But right now, Edwards is the best candidate for the GLBT community (even Coulter thinks so ;-)
PS: Hillary, you're a day late with the ad calling on Abu G to resign.
On homosexuality, my guess is she'll have a spokesperson say what doesn't immediately come to mind today, if she hasn't already. But that she can't say it herself immediately is telling ... and let's be honest, it's disconcerting for people's conceptions of Obama as well.