President Bush on Tuesday declined to say whether homosexuality is immoral, an assertion made last month by Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“I — I — I will not be rendering judgment about individual orientation,” Bush said. “I do believe the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy is good policy.”
It was a reference to the policy instituted by former President Clinton that allows gays to serve in the armed forces as long as they don’t make their homosexuality public.
Last month, Pace was criticized for calling homosexuality immoral.
“I believe homosexual acts between two individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts,” Pace told the Chicago Tribune. “I do not believe the United States is well-served by a policy that says it is OK to be immoral in any way.”
Bush has hinted previously that he considers homosexuality immoral, although he has not publicly used that particular adjective.
