Bush Campaign Chief and Former RNC Chair Ken Mehlman: I'm Gay

The Atlantic ^ | 10/25/2010 | Marc Ambinder

[LonelyCon]

Ken Mehlman, President Bush's campaign manager in 2004 and a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, has told family and associates that he is gay.

Mehlman arrived at this conclusion about his identity fairly recently, he said in an interview. He agreed to answer a reporter's questions, he said, because, now in private life, he wants to become an advocate for gay marriage and anticipated that questions would arise about his participation in a late-September fundraiser for the American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER), the group that supported the legal challenge to California's ballot initiative against gay marriage, Proposition 8.

"It's taken me 43 years to get comfortable with this part of my life," said Mehlman, now an executive vice-president with the New York City-based private equity firm, KKR. "Everybody has their own path to travel, their own journey, and for me, over the past few months, I've told my family, friends, former colleagues, and current colleagues, and they've been wonderful and supportive. The process has been something that's made me a happier and better person. It's something I wish I had done years ago."

Privately, in off-the-record conversations with this reporter over the years, Mehlman voiced support for civil unions and told of how, in private discussions with senior Republican officials, he beat back efforts to attack same-sex marriage. He insisted, too, that President Bush "was no homophobe." He often wondered why gay voters never formed common cause with Republican opponents of Islamic jihad, which he called "the greatest anti-gay force in the world right now."

[FreedomPoster]

That’s the definition of “damning with faint praise”.

[little jeremiah]

I should have been more clear - the sicko Ken is saying that either you’re “with” them or a homophobe.

[The Comedian]

I must confess that I am gay but in a different sort of way

I'm a lesbian trapped in a man's body.

Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.

[WallStreetCapitalist]

>>> This guy is much better at the job than Mike Steele. <<<

A turnip would be better at the job than Michael Steele.

[longtermmemmory]

How many others like him have short circuited the conservative cause. We have suffered these fools too long.

This is probably why mccain and other rinos are so quick to create the faux division of conservative x vs conservative y.

[tuckrdout]

I haven’t been so shocked since Clay Aiken said he was gay.

[tlb]

>>> Kelly McGillis just announced she is a Homo,hello she made her money and lied to us the whole time

You mean she doesn’t actually teach air to air combat tactics to Naval aviators ? How disappointing.

[codercpc]

I honestly thought that everybody knew this already?

[archivist007]

Who bleeping cares?

Why announce it to the world? I don’t really care. Any normal person doesn’t care whether or not you like someone of the same sex.

It seems like with all these people who announce it just want want attention to the fact they like someone of the same sex. They are attention whores. It seems like it is about sex with these people.

[fatima]

Heheheheh Stop it:)

[Impy]

In other news, Ted Kennedy is still dead and ice cream tastes good.

Isn’t it wonderful to have the former RNC chief shilling for gay marraige?

[wku man]

Spot on! I've been saying for years that Big Tentism is killing the GOP, and now it's apparently infecting the conservative movement as well. Homosexuality is absolutely incompatible with conservatism, because traditional, Judeo-Christian moral values are at the very heart of conservatism. You can no sooner have a homosexual conservative than you could have a glass of hot-cold water, or a pet cat-dog.

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!

[ScottinVA]

Ken Mehlman is gay?

Oh.

[reagan_fanatic]

A) I don’t care whether or not you’re gay, Ken.

B) I don’t want to hear about it, either.

[Clintonfatigued]

I give him credit for one thing- recognizing the threat that radical Islam poses to all of us, including the people he now champions. But why do we need to what he does in the bedroom?

[DBeers]

I think we see many of the RINOs, conservative lites, and progressives coming out of their various closets now thinking the coast is clear and that what they pursued stealthly they can now pursue out in the open...

I think these spineless useful idiots are in for a shock...

[gidget7]

OK, we all suspected. But his “coming out” ewwwww, explains a lot, doesn’t it?

[wardaddy]

geezuss..no wonder...no more Bushes please

[tommy k5]

I’m all over the board politically, but in my objective view I think the gay issue will hurt the conservative party politically until they reconcile with the people they’ve caused so much pain through their anti-gay rhetoric.

The great thing about America is not our conservative or liberal tradition, but rather our tradition of compromise. These are our sons and daughters. These are Americans. More importantly they are humans. We do wrong when we judge and condemn. Our history is littered with gay humans who have greatly advanced our evolution. No honest person would say otherwise. When the bible is used to justify hatred, we only repeat our past.

Peace and prosperity.