News
2007-06-08
Romney recasts
stance on "don't ask, don't tell"
Former
Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who once said
he supported the military's “don’t ask,
don
Former
Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who once said
he supported the military's “don’t ask,
don’t tell” policy primarily because he
felt it would help gays and lesbians to serve openly in
the military, offered a different account of the policy at
the Republican debates in New Hampshire on Tuesday.
"When I first heard of the 'don’t ask,
don’t tell' policy, I thought it sounded
awfully silly. I didn’t think that would be very
effective. And I turned out to be wrong," Romney said.
He added that he agreed with fellow GOP candidate Rudy
Guiliani that now, during the Iraq War, "is not the
time to put in place a major change."
However, in 1994,
Romney held up “don’t ask,
don’t tell” as a step in the right
direction for gays and lesbians. In a letter to the Log
Cabin Club of Massachusetts, Romney stated that President
Clinton's policy on gays would "ultimately lead to
gays and lesbians being able to serve openly and
honestly in our nation's military.”
Comparing himself to his opponent at the
time for a U.S. Senate seat, Sen. Edward Kennedy,
Romney added, "I am more convinced than ever
before that as we seek to establish full equality for
America's gay and lesbian citizens, I will provide
more effective leadership."
This is not the first time Romney has
reconsidered his views on a hot-button social
issue. In his 2002 run for governor of Massachusetts,
Romney promised he would not change the state's abortion
laws, despite his personal objection to them. However,
during an interview with Larry King in March 2007, he
said his views on abortion had evolved when the idea
of human cloning came into the picture. He now holds a
pro-life position. (The Advocate)
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