CNN’s Pro-Homosexual Debate Ploy Backfires

‘Gay’ Ret. Brig. Gen. Keith Kerr allowed to critique Republican candidates’ answers

CNN flew in Retired Brig. Gen. Keith Kerr — a homosexual activist and Log Cabin Republicans member who now crusades for allowing admitted homosexuals in the U.S. military — to its GOP presidential debate Wednesday, so he could CRITIQUE the candidates’ responses to his question about “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” At left is how Kerr — who calls the GOP candidates “partisanly homophobic” — appeared on video during the CNN/YouTube Republican debate. CNN also had another Log Cabin activist ask a pro-homosexual question at the debate. Photo: CNN/YouTube.

CNN’s pro-homosexual presidential debate was moderated by Anderson Cooper. A major homosexual magazine, OUT, has “outed” Cooper as one of the nation’s most influential homosexuals. Though Cooper is mum on his “sexual orientation,” his pro-“gay” bias is abundantly clear at CNN, as it was again at Wednesday’s debate. Homosexual activists would come harder after Cooper if his reportage was not so “gay”-friendly. See AFTAH’s adjoining story, “Does CNN’s Anderson Cooper Have a Conflict of Interest on ‘Gay’ Issues?”

TAKE ACTION: Write CNN News at www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5.html?92 and/or Anderson Cooper at http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5.html?10 to comment on their egregious pro-homosexual and anti-Republican bias and lack of professionalism in the CNN/Youtube presidential debate Wednesday.

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By Peter LaBarbera, www.americansfortruth.org

Dear Americans For Truth Reader,

The liberals over at CNN are so committed to open homosexuality in the U.S. armed forces that they flew in a retired homosexual Brig. Gen. Keith Kerr to participate in their Republican presidential debate Wednesday — so he could critique the GOP candidates’ responses to HIS OWN loaded YouTube question opposing “Don’t’ Ask, Don’t Tell.”

Is it just me, but could you in your wildest imagination picture CNN recruiting Stephen Bennett, a pro-family, EX-“gay” Christian, to ask Democrat presidential candidates a question opposing homosexuality, and then flying him in to critique their responses?

If Kerr’s sneak attack wasn’t bad enough, CNN followed it up a second YouTube question from a homosexual activist — this time it was David Cercone, a Florida Log Cabin Republicans member who, it turns out, is backing [another democratic presidential contender].

Needless to say, no conservative questions on the homosexual issue were heard from the floor or YouTube at the debate.

Much of the critical attention on CNN’s stunt has focused on the Democrat affiliations of the questioners, but since AFTAH, as a tax-exempt nonprofit, has to stay out of the presidential race, we will cover CNN’s blatant bias on homosexuality.

I will say this: thank God for FOX News, Rush Limbaugh and other conservative alternative media, which were all over the CNN/YouTube debacle yesterday. Twenty years ago, CNN’s shenanigans could never have been exposed so quickly to so many millions of Americans. The liberal press monopoly is dead: freedom and genuine media competition is a good thing!

In the end, CNN’s debate scam backfired, and ended up charging up Republicans — hardly their goal, I’m sure. The network committed fraud by not revealing its liberal questioners’ Democrat ties and making it look as if some questioners were undecided on the race when in fact they were liberal partisans.

What follows are the homosexualty excerpts from the Kerr and Cercone portion of the debate, which was hosted by CNN anchor Anderson Cooper — who himself was “outed” as one of America’s most influential homosexuals by OUT, one of the country’s two biggest homosexual magazines, earlier this year. (Cooper is mum on his “sexual orientation,” but his pro-homosexuality bias at CNN has been made abundantly clear, as it was again Wednesday.) See our adjoining story on Cooper, “Does CNN’s Anderson Cooper Have a Conflict of Interest on ‘Gay’ Issues?”

These excerpts come from the Federal News Service through the New York Times (pages 36-38 of the 44-page Times debate transcript):

MR. COOPER: Let’s get back to the debate. Another question from a YouTube viewer. Let’s watch.
Q: My name is Keith Kerr, from Santa Rosa, California. I’m retired brigadier general with 43 years of service, and I’m a graduate of the Special Forces Officer Course, the Command and General Staff Course, and the Army War College. And I’m an openly gay man. want to know why you think that American men and women in uniform are not professional enough to serve with gays and lesbians.
MR. COOPER: I want to point out that Brigadier General Keith Kerr is here with us tonight. Glad you’re here. (Applause.)
I’ll give the question to [a California Congressman and presidential candidate].
[California Congressman]: Yeah. General, General, thanks for your service, but I believe in what Colin Powell said when he said that having openly homosexual people serving in the ranks would be bad for unit cohesion. And the reason for that — even though people point to the Israelis and point to the Brits and point to other people as having homosexuals serve, is that most Americans, most kids who leave that — that breakfast table and go and serve in the military and make that corporate decision with their family — most of them are conservatives. And they have conservative values, and they have Judeo-Christian values. And to force those people to work in a small, tight unit with somebody who is [homosexual] — openly homosexual goes against what they believe to be their principles — and it is their principles — is, I think, a disservice to them. And I — I agree with Colin Powell that it would be bad for unit cohesion. (Applause.)
MR. COOPER: I want to direct that to [the former Governor of Arkansas]. Thirty seconds.
[Former Governor of Arkansas]: The Uniform Code of Military Justice is probably the best rule, and it has to do with conduct. People have a right to have whatever feelings, whatever attitudes they wish.
But when their conduct could put at risk the morale or put at risk even the cohesion that [the California Congressman] spoke of, I think that’s what is at issue, and that’s why our policy is what it is.
MR. COOPER: [to the former Governor of Massachusetts], you said in 1994 that you looked forward to the day when gays and lesbians could serve, and I quote, “openly and honestly” in our nation’s military. Do you stand by that?
[Former Governor of Massachusetts]: This isn’t that time. This is not that time. We’re in a middle of a war. The people who have watched —
MR. COOPER: Do you look forward to that time, though, one day?
[Former Governor of Massachusetts]: I’m going to listen to the people who run the military to see what the circumstances are like. And my view is that at this stage this is not the time for us to make that kind of a change.
MR. COOPER: Is there a change in your position from 1994?
[Former Governor of Massachusetts]: Yeah, I didn’t think it would work. I didn’t think “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” would work. That was my — I didn’t think that would work. I thought that was a policy — when I heard about it, I laughed. I said that doesn’t make any sense to me. And you know what? It’s been there now for what, 15 years? Seems to have worked.
MR. COOPER: So just on clear — at this point, do you still look forward to a day when gays can serve openly in the military, or no longer?
[Former Governor of Massachusetts]: I look forward to hearing from the military exactly what they believe is the right way to have the right kind of cohesion and support in our — in our troops, and I’ll listen to what they have to say. (Boos.)
MR. COOPER: All right. General Kerr is, as I said, is here. Please stand up, General. Thank you very much for being with us. Do you feel you got an answer to your question?
GEN. KERR: With all due respect, I did not get an answer from the candidates. (Applause.)
MR. COOPER: What do you — what do you feel you got?
GEN. KERR: American — American men and women in the military are professional enough to serve with gays and lesbians. For 42 years, I wore the Army uniform on active duty, in the Reserve, and also for the state of California. I revealed I was a gay man after I retired. Today, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is destructive to our military policy. Every — every day, the Department of Defense discharges two people not for misconduct, not for the unit cohesion — (mike cuts off).
MR. COOPER: The mike is — you’ve lost the — is the microphone not working? All right. Please, just finish your — finish your — what is your —
GEN. KERR: Not for the unit cohesion that [the Congressman from California] is talking about, but simply because they happen to be gay.
MR. COOPER: Okay. [the Senator from Arizona] —
GEN. KERR: And we’re talking about doctors, nurses, pilots, and the surgeon who sews — (boos) — sews somebody up when they’re taken from the battlefield.
MR. COOPER: I appreciate your comment.
[The Senator from Arizona], I want to give you 30 seconds. You served in the military. (Applause.)
[Senator from Arizona]: General, I thank you for your service to our nation. I respect it. All the time I talk to our military leaders, beginning with our Joint Chiefs of Staff and leaders in the field such as General Petraeus and General Odierno and others who are designated leaders with the responsibility of the safety of the men and women under their command and their security and protect them as best they can. Almost unanimously, they tell me that this present policy is working, that we have the best military in history, we have the bravest, most professional —
MR. COOPER: Time.
[Senator from Arizona]: : — best-prepared, and that this policy ought to be continued because it’s working.
MR. COOPER: All right. We’ve got another question. Let’s listen. (Applause.)
DAVID CERCONE (POMPANO BEACH, FLORIDA): Hi. My name is David Cercone. I would like to ask all the candidates if they accept the support of the Log Cabin Republicans. And why should the Log Cabin Republicans support their candidacy? Thank you.
MR. COOPER: [to the former Governor of Arkansas], would you support — would you get — would you allow support from the Log Cabin Republicans, a group of gay Republicans?
[Former Governor of Arkansas]: You know, in my position in this entire election, I need the support of anybody and everybody I can get. (Laughter, applause.) So I’m happy —
MR. COOPER: Should they support you?
[Former Governor of Arkansas]: : Sure they should. I disagree with them — strongly disagree with them — on the idea of same-sex marriage. But in a democracy, we can have disagreements over some policies and still agree on the greater things that make us Republicans.
So would I accept their support? Of course. Would I change my position on same-sex marriage? No, I wouldn’t. But if they’re willing to support me — (applause) — I’ll be their president. I’ll be anybody’s president, but I’ll be true to my convictions. And I think that’s what Americans look for — not someone they’re going to agree with on everything, but somebody who at least has some convictions — (applause) — sticks with them, can explain them, and can at least have respect for people who have different ones. (Applause.)

CNN just doesn’t get it
To add insult to injury, yesterday CNN responded to the debate scandal criticism with a very friendly interview between its correspondent, John Roberts, and Kerr. Roberts used the interview to ask Kerr softball questions that were blatantly sympathetic to his viewpoint of changing military policy to allow open homosexuals.

Apparently CNN’s braintrust didn’t think Americans got enough pro-homosexuals-in-the-military advocacy the previous night. Roberts said CNN might not have used the Kerr question had it known of his affiliation with a Democratic candidate’s campaign.

You can view Roberts’ biased interview by going to this link and then choosing the video link “Debate Question Controversy”: http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/11/28/debate.main/index.html#cnnSTCVideo

Folks, get ready for 2008 and another year of the liberal media putting its politically correct agendas above fairness and objective coverage of the various candidates. Click here to read the FOX News story on this blatant breach of media ethics (if there is such a thing): http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,313681,00.html.

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Here are some highlights from the Fox News story on Kerr:

CNN Allows [Homosexual General] to Question GOP Candidates in YouTube Debate

A CNN host acknowledged the participation of a retired Army colonel linked to [a major Democratic presidential candidate] in a televised Republican debate Wednesday.

Keith Kerr of Santa Rosa, Calif., who revealed himself as gay, challenged the eight candidates via video message and on stage at the CNN/YouTube debate in Florida on the right of gays and lesbians to serve openly in the U.S. military.

The broadcast, however, failed to mention that Kerr, who served as a brigadier general in the reserves, is a member of a gay and lesbian steering committee for [a top Democratic presidential candidate] …

Kerr submitted the question for Republican candidates at the video debate “a couple months ago,” and said last Saturday CNN called him and said they’d like him to come to the debate. He said the cable news network paid for his flight, his hotel and his transportation to and from the event. ……

He added that he had been a Log Cabin Republican for a long time and recently changed from Republican to independent in California. He said he had supported the GOP but “these guys are just partisanly homophobic.”

Following the debate, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper said in a broadcast statement that Kerr’s political ties to [a top Democratic presidential candidate] were unknown to the network. …

During the debate, Kerr said he wanted to know why the GOP candidates think that “American men and women in uniform are not professional enough to serve with gays and lesbians.” …