Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.news From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Nunn defies Clinton on gays in military Date: Mon, 16 Nov 92 17:03:26 EST Message-ID: \SE A \HD Nunn defies Clinton on gays in military \SH Dole says Hill should decide \BY Bill Gertz \CR THE WASHINGTON TIMES Sen. Sam Nunn, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said yesterday he opposes lifting the ban on homosexuals in the U.S. military, putting him in direct conflict with his party's president-elect. "I agree with the present policy," the Georgia senator, who has been mentioned as a possible secretary of defense nominee, said. "I think we ought to proceed very cautiously. I think we ought to have comprehensive hearings on it." Current military law defines homosexual acts as criminal violations, and therefore Congress would be involved in policy changes regarding homosexuals, Mr. Nunn said. Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole said yesterday an executive order by Bill Clinton lifting the ban could "blow the lid off the Capitol" but added that he would be surprised if the president-elect won a vote on the issue in Congress. The Kansas Republican, who suffered a crippling wound while serving in World War II, suggested Mr. Clinton's lack of military service could be a factor in the latter's proposed policy change. "Had he served, he might be a little more sensitive to the issue," Mr. Dole said. Mr. Clinton himself on Thursday appeared to be backing off plans for an immediate repeal of the ban on homosexuals in the military. At his first news conference since Election Day, Mr. Clinton said he planned to "move forward" with a campaign promise to lift the ban but noted: "I want to consult with a lot of people about what our options are." However, George Stephanopoulos, the Clinton communications director, said Friday at a press briefing that Mr. Clinton was committed to reversing the ban on homosexuals in the military. The only question, he said, is how to do it. "Any time you have a reversal of a long-standing policy that has been in place for decades, if not hundreds of years, you want to make sure you do it right," Mr. Stephanopoulos said, "and he's going to make sure he does it right, and that requires consulting with the military leaders." Asked when an executive order would come, Mr. Stephanopoulos said, "He's certainly going to address the issue in the first 100 days." But Mr. Nunn said the rights of people who are not homosexuals must be considered before lifting the ban since military personnel "give up a great deal of their privacy" while in the armed services. "The military is not like any other occupation," Mr. Nunn said on CBS' "Face the Nation." "It's not like [Department of Defense] civilians. You don't go home at night. You live in barracks many times, you're out in the field many times, and there are an awful lot of complications here." "I would like to hear a lot more evidence" before the ban is lifted, he said. The senator said he agrees with the current Pentagon policy banning homosexuals advocated by Army Gen. Colin Powell, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Gen. Powell has said permitting homosexuals to work openly in the armed forces would be disruptive and damaging to order and discipline. Privately, some top military officials have taken the issue further, threatening to resign in protest if the ban is lifted. Retired Adm. Thomas Moorer, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1970 to 1974, said he would have considered resigning in protest if the ban were rescinded when he was top military commander. Adm. Moorer said on ABC's "This Week" that it would be a mistake to allow homosexuals in the armed forces. "In the first place these people are involved in what I consider to be a filthy, disease-ridden practice, and the military organization is not a democracy," Adm. Moorer said. Most of the military opposes the idea of allowing homosexuals in the ranks, he said. "The purpose of the Defense Department is to defend the United States and look after its interests worldwide, and anything that degrades combat readiness and the capability to fight should not be adopted, in my opinion," Adm. Moorer said. Mr. Nunn said a policy change on homosexuals now might "overload the system." The military now is grappling with budget cuts, questions about permitting women in combat and dealing with sexual harassment in the Navy, he said. He said he doubted, though, that the policy change would result in mass protest resignations of military officers. "I think they want to keep the current policy, but the military's great about saluting and obeying civilian authority and carrying out the wishes of the president and the commander-in-chief and the Congress," Mr. Nunn said. Earlier yesterday, Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell said the ban should be lifted. "I think that's the right course of action," the Maine Democrat said on NBC's "Meet the Press." Mr. Mitchell agreed that lifting the ban on homosexuals would require congressional action because of changes in the uniform code of military justice, the law applying to the U.S. military. Mr. Dole said on the same program that Mr. Clinton is "going to get in more trouble than he can add up right now if he starts with an executive order" lifting the ban. "And I can't give him any advice except to say go slow," he said. "There are other things you can do by executive order that wouldn't blow the lid off the Capitol. I think this one might come close. "It will cause real problems in the military, and it seems to me that he'd be making a big mistake. He ought to put it on the back burner." The Republican leader said he expects Congress to vote on changing the ban on homosexuals in the military, and "I'd be surprised if he won that vote." This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM