AN OPENLY GAY MAN AS SECRETARY OF THE NAVY?....

Well, he would appreciate the seamen.

"...service is not an option given his sexual orientation..."

Oh yeah, 'cuz everyone knows there aren't any gay veterans. Well, except for the dozen or so that I know personally, but I'm sure that's the complete list. I mean, the Navy? Totally straight. Always has been. Yep. Liberace, too. And you wanna know what else? Broadway.

Now lemme see, here:

First you get an anti-gay-marriage minister to do the invocation at your inaguration, thus offending lots of gays.

Then you get an openly gay guy as Secretary of the Navy, no doubt PO-ing lots of military types and followers of the anti-gay minister.

What's next? Joe the Plumber for head of the IRS?

Is this the same Barack Obama I remember voting for? Or does he have an evil twin?

Crankily yours,
The New York Crank

To follow up on EdTheRed's snark, there are a number of military bases in my area, Army, Navy and (I think) Air Force. I personally know or know of quite a few gays on active duty. But those have to be the only ones, don't they? :)

oh yeah. obama's getting advice from retired members of the joint chiefs... and you just watch that once obama selects an openly gay man to lead the navy, these retired members of the joint chiefs will release a statement about how the democratic president is undermining the cohesiveness of the military and endangering the security of the united states.

Gay, Navy. Sounds about right.

Could someone please explain Elaine Donnelly's relevance to ANYTHING military? Has she ever served in the armed services? Been in any public policy positions? Served on a Congressional Armed Services Committee? Has any academic credentials relevant to the subject? Has she ever done anything outside of founding an organization solely dedicated to keeping women and gays out of the armed forces?

It would just be cheaper for journalists to summarize it as, "All the same people had all the same objections for all the same reasons we've been hearing about since before the Reagan era."

I am the monarch of the sea,
The ruler of the Queen's Naveeeee!"

Stefan at 1st comment :"Well, he would appreciate the seamen."...oh you did not go there! Yes, yes you did! HAHAHAHAAHAAAAHAHAAAAAA

Singing quietly to his-self, Village People's, "In the Navy"; I click and post my comment.

It's odd to me that on the Warren threads you see outrage at Obama's selection for what is essentially a one-and-done speaking engagement (for lack of a better phrase), yet on this thread about the potential selection of an openly gay man to a position of actual substance, who might actually have a say in actual policy, we get Village People jokes. Granted this isn't an offical appointment yet, but shouldn't this help to diffuse some of the Warren outrage? (And isn't it likely that the timing of this announcement is intentional?)

I am beginning to think that the objection to gays in the military comes primarily from outside the service and from the more extreme Christian elements inside the service (esp in the air force) either the military people I have met recently are especially tolerant, which may well be the case, or they just aren't as vocal about it (which tolerant people tend to be, if you don't think it's a big deal, you aren't going to make a stink until you are forced to) plus, I have compete confidence in the large majority of officers and enlisted men and women to follow orders. If the President orders the further integration of the services, there will be some problems (heck, women have been serving forever and there are still problems with assholes) but just as with Truman's racial integration, it will be a much smaller deal than predicted. Most will shrug their shoulders and get on with it.

Having an openly gay person serve as the Secretary of the Navy would almost certainly drive conservative Republicans in Congress to apoplexy,[...] -- Steve Benen

What shall we do with the drunken sailor (x3) early in the morning? Put him in the bed with the captain's daughter (x3) early in the morning. Heave ho, and up she rises... There... Problem solved, man "cured". I'm sure invocator-Warren will take care of it.

expanding my above cut off comment:

I know that I wouldn't want to work with someone at my low-risk desk job who felt afraid to share something about themselves with the rest of the team, I would feel that person wouldn't be as productive if they were afraid of such a thing. I certainly wouldn't want someone behind me with a gun who was afraid to share things that others do. That's not to say I think everyone should share, but there shouldn't be fear-based pressure that stops you from acting the way others do. If someone can talk about their boyfriend, then everyone should be able to, if they so choose. Doing otherwise is damaging to morale.

@northzax Actually from the active and in-active gay servicemen and women I know and those working to over turn DADT. The majority of the objection seems to becoming from the senior staff. The officers and generals -- who are usually older and not as progressive socially. The service people? Most couldn't care less. They know they serve with gay men and women, most probably know who is and isn't, but couldn't give a flying. They have friends and relatives that are out back home as well. And don't, frankly, have a problem with it.

@Anon - yes, YET not so very odd. Being gay myself, IMHO, Warren's selection is nothing to fight over; its more of him endorsing Obama, rather than Obama endorsing Warren. Choose the fights to fight - no major outrage on my part.

Let him do his prayer and be done with it.

No one who is not a member of the military may credibly comment in this thread. No one who is not gay may credibly comment in this thread. No one who is not a member of the military AND gay may...oh. Wait.

Gay Navy vet now working as a civilian for the Navy!! Woo hoo!! I have QUADRUPLE credibility in this thread!

That said, all I know is that Mr. White has experience in fundraising and running a naval history museum. Not quite the credentials I was hoping for in a SECNAV. Could we please see his list of merits?

You can't have both quality and PC quotas.

If you choose people because they are gay or black or Moslem or Catholic, then you have to be marginalizing qualifications.

Stupid.

Seems like it would be a pretty disastrous decision, politically. His lack of service experience gives conservatives and all those retired generals and admirals a nice big excuse to oppose him publicly. "It's not that he's gay! It's that he hasn't served!"

The cynic in me wonders if this little suggestion didn't come out to take the heat off the Rick Warren decision.

Since no one else has brought it up yet ...

"The only traditions of the Royal Navy are rum, sodomy and the lash" - Churchill's assistant, Anthony Montague-Browne (not Churchill himeslf).

Granted, I never served in the Navy, but I have "served" the Navy on more than one occassion.

It is ironic that this comes up right along with Rev. Warren blessing the innauguration. How much do you want to bet the conservatives who shriek and scream and go into fits if White is nominated will be viewed as more legitimate than those pissy gays mad about Rev. Warren?

My prediction: White is just speculation and he'd never actually be nominated for Sec. of the Navy.

Just so he never utters those horrible words, 'You sunk my battleship!'.

Why does the Navy keep Marines onboard? Because sheep would be too obvious.