"For the past three years, I’ve urged the Secretary and her senior management team to redress policies that discriminate against gay and lesbian employees. Absolutely nothing has resulted from this. And so I’ve felt compelled to choose between obligations to my partner — who is my family — and service to my country. That anyone should have to make that choice is a stain on the Secretary’s leadership and a shame for this institution and our country," he said.
http://theboard.blogs.nytimes.com/...
In 2001, Colin Powell was the Secretary of State and George W. Bush was settling into his administration. Those of us looking for signs of progress were encouraged when the President selected Michael Guest, an openly gay career State Department diplomat as ambassador to Romania, a post-communist country seeking to enter NATO. We were even happier to see the Secretary of State acknowledge Guest’s partner, Alex Nevarez, at his swearing in ceremony.
As Guest was the first openly gay ambassador confirmed by the Senate, and as Nevarez was encouraged to move with Guest to Romania, some of us hoped that perhaps the administration might be supportive of equality, at least in employment, and the administration’s lack of response to anti-gay protest seemed promising. That was 2001.
By all accounts, Guest performed his duties admirably during a time of significant change and ended his term in 2003 with Romania sharing a closer friendship with the United States, a member of NATO, and well into establishing European contacts that would eventually lead to inclusion in the European Union.
But much has changed since 2001. The President stopped appointing gay people - or even gay-supportive people - to positions of authority. And after failing to meet expectations on the foreign front, his handlers decided that he reelection message would focus on a greater threat to the nation: committed gay couples...
http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/...
I’m sorry to hear that Mr. Bush has managed to foul up someone else’s life.
I’m sorry to hear that Michael Guest is leaving State.
I"m sorry that Mr. Bush decided to treat the GLBT community like dirt.
I’m not sorry to know that Mr. Bush is just about out of time, options and faces increasing credibility problems. Goodbye, Shrub. You have about a year left to screw things up even more.
I guess that there were a few of us just after 9-11 that thought it was necessary to give the Shrub a chance. I remember being vilified for that at some of the Cylon Parties... However, I and others did what we thought was right. We were wrong.
I wasn't wrong about the war with Iraq - unlike Hillary and Andrew Sullivan and other people way above my pay grade. I wasn't wrong about the economy. I knew the housing bubble was a problem ages ago. I wanted Bush to be a decent guy, though. Goddess help me, that was the worst mistake of all because he isn't. Bush is a war criminal, an idiot, and a monster in the guise of a stupid hilljack.