Hagel opposed “openly aggressively gay” nominee
Chuck Hagel’s path to the Pentagon may have hit a speedbump.
The former Nebraska senator, widely considered a finalist to succeed Leon Panetta as secretary of defense, opposed James Hormel’s nomination as U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg in the late 1990s because Hormel was “openly, aggressively gay.”
Buzzfeed and the New York Times reported Thursday evening that in 1998, when Hormel’s nomination was before the Senate, Hagel told a Nebraska newspaper that he had concerns about Hormel representing his country because of his sexuality.
“Ambassadorial posts are sensitive,” Hagel told the Omaha World-Herald. “They are representing America,” he said. “They are representing our lifestyle, our values, our standards. And I think it is an inhibiting factor to be gay — openly aggressively gay like Mr. Hormel — to do an effective job.”
http://www.salon.com/2012/12/21/hagel_opposed_openly_aggressively_gay_nominee/
It better be more than just a speedbump in his way. Better be a division of troops!
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