Presumptive Republican presidential nominee George W. Bush has chosen Richard Cheney as his vice presidential running mate. Cheney is a traditional conservative in matters of economics and governance, he is not a social conservative allied with the religious right.
He has made a political career working for moderates, as a protégé of Donald Rumsfeld at the Office of Economic Opportunity, chief of staff to President Gerald Ford, as the Congressman from Wyoming for a decade, and as Secretary of Defense to President George H.W. Bush.
Cheney brought his senior congressional aide Pete Williams with him to become chief spokesman for the Pentagon. In 1991 Williams was "outed" as gay, ostensibly because of the hypocrisy of a closeted gay man being allowed to serve at that senior level while hundreds of gay and lesbian soldiers were being booted out each year.
It is believed that Cheney had long known that Williams was gay. Williams refused to publicly comment on the "outing," and with Cheney's support, continued to serve as Pentagon spokesman.
At a congressional hearing, Secretary Cheney was asked by Rep Barney Frank, D-Mass., if gays were a security risk in the military. Cheney replied, that was "an old chestnut that could be laid to rest," gays were no more or less of a security risk than any other Americans. He was the highest-ranking government official to debunk that myth.
"Cheney stopped the practice of recoupment [ trying to recover money for the cost of education, training, and reenlistment bonuses ] against gay servicemembers," said Michelle Benecke, co-director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. "Then when Clinton came into office, the practice started up again, and we have been fighting it ever since."
The Pentagon currently is seeking $67,000 from Tommie Lee Watkins Jr., the president of his class who resigned from the U.S. Naval Academy in the spring of 1997 under threat of expulsion for being gay. It is also involved in litigation to recover $70,000 from former Air Force psychologist John Hensala.
A National Gay and Lesbian Task Force press release called Cheney anti-choice, anti-gay, anti-Equal Rights Amendment, and pro-military-gay-ban. Cheney said the controversy over gays in the military, in addition to defense spending cuts, "has led to an unwillingness to serve and low morale" in the military.
Cheney is also a trustee of the arch-conservative American Enterprise Institute, where he was a former senior fellow. AEI is home to many right-wingers, including Robert Bork, Newt Gingrich and Charles Murray, author of The Bell Curve. AEI also opposes equal rights for GLBTs.
Kolbe makes history
Rep. Jim Kolbe, R-Arizona, is set to make history next Tuesday when he will become the first openly gay member of Congress to address a Republican convention. The Arizona congressman will have a prime-time speaking slot, addressing the GOP on trade issues for three minutes between 8 and 8:30 p.m. Aug. 1.
Kolbe, first elected in 1984, is the most senior openly gay member of Congress and is the only openly gay Republican in the House. Having Kolbe speak at the convention was an idea first raised by Washington city councilman David Catania in April, when the Log Cabin Republicans, the most prominent gay GOP organization, met with presidential candidate George W. Bush.
Kolbe backed Bush's rival, Sen. John McCain, during the primary season.
According to the group, this is the first time a well-known openly gay person has gone to the podium at the GOP national convention. In 1996, a little-known Log Cabin Republican member from California, Steve Fong, gave a low-profile, one-minute speech amid little fanfare.
Also, for the first time during a Republican National Convention, a reception will be held to honor openly gay GOP elected officials, convention delegates and alternates. Co-sponsored by the Log Cabin Republicans and the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, the "Making History" reception will feature Rep. Jim Kolbe.
