Community | October 07, 2009 | 46 comments

Obama to name openly gay ambassador

source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33216963/ns/politics-white_house/

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WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama plans to nominate an openly gay lawyer as the United States' ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa, an administration official said Wednesday.

David Huebner was the lawyer who would be announced for the post, said an official who would speak only on condition of anonymity ahead of an announcement.

If confirmed by the Senate, Huebner would the administration's first openly gay ambassador. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush both had openly gay ambassadors during their terms.

Huebner is currently based in Shanghai, where he handles international arbitration and mediation cases. A graduate of Princeton University and Yale Law School, he is also the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation's general counsel and previously served on the group's board.

The announcement is a gesture just days before Obama speaks to a gay fundraising dinner on Saturday and gay activists march on Washington on Sunday.

Obama's relationship with gay activists has been rocky since his election. Gay and lesbian activists who objected to the invitation to evangelist Rev. Rick Warren's participation in the inauguration despite Warren's support for repealing gay marriage in California. Obama responded by having Episcopalian Bishop V. Gene Robinson, the denomination's first openly gay bishop, participate at another event.

As president, Obama hasn't taken any concrete steps urging Congress to rescind the Clinton-era "don't ask, don't tell" policy that allows gays and lesbians to serve in the military as long as they don't disclose their sexual orientation or act on it. Some former chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff have acknowledged that policy is flawed.

Yet the office of the current chairman, Adm. Mike Mullen, signed off on a journal article that called for lifting the ban, arguing that the military is forcing thousands of military members to live dishonest lives.

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Source: MSNBC
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46 comments // Obama to name openly gay ambassador

  • LadybugLady
    • 0
      LadybugLady [removed]  

    • You saw Obama in a bathroom and he has a swatstika on him. OMG! you really should see somebody about this,because you are just plain wrong in the head.You evangelical Christians are freakin wakos.

    • 2 years ago
  • samthesixth
  • unclepete813
    • 0
      unclepete813  

    • here we go again. i have alot of gay friends i dont knock no one about what they do, cause i love all humans and im not religious. but in the bible which most people claim, they say god spoke against that, to make my point, Obama is the Anti-Christ. he is hitler with a mask on, i saw him in the bathroom and his booty is white with a nazi symbol on it. and you saw how he was dancing at that inagural ball. mmmhhhmmmm. he is the devil son himself. his first words New World Order. sound just like hitler to me. dont fall for this crap. he just trying to get everyone behind his devilish plans which is for the elite. just look at his cabinet. they all wallstreet. go check it out. we in trouble unless yall WAKE UP AMERICA.

    • 2 years ago
  • KSirys
  • Birdmanbob4
  • Birdmanbob4
  • Brendan_M
    • 0
      Brendan_M  
    • Birdmanbob4:

      Birdmanbob4, you're disgusting! Coming onto this site to promote your offensive organization, NAMBLA, like this, for shame! I don't care about your pro-NAMBLA agenda, Birdmanbob4! No one wants to hear about how much you love NAMBLA, Birdmanbob4, YOU PERVERT!

      STOP TALKING ABOUT HOW ACTIVE YOU ARE IN NAMBLA, Birdmanbob4!

    • 2 years ago
  • cztheday
    • 0
      cztheday  

    • Hmmmm. Perhaps I am missing something in the article, but I don't see how people are coming to the conclusion that President Obama is "using" this man's sexual orientation. The article described the statement as having been "said [by] an official who would speak only on condition of anonymity." Sure, that may have been a "planned leak." But it may also have been leaked by someone with their own motives or agenda. The guy may actually be qualified to be the ambassador to New Zealand...and just happened to be gay.

      So...are all the rest of our ambassadors "openly heterosexual?"...

    • 2 years ago
  • Trypnotik
  • chicala
  • newinusa
    • 0
      newinusa  

    • we should vote down this story, i feel like nobody here cares about the sexual tendency of the so called "new ambassador", am i wrong?

    • 2 years ago
  • maizein
    • 0
      maizein  

    • "Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush both had openly gay ambassadors during their terms." - if you're "openly gay", why would you consider and even accept working for a guy like Bush?

    • 2 years ago
  • Brendan_M
  • lordsbassman
  • Submersible
    • 0
      Submersible  

    • The United States Secretary of Homeland Security is somewhat 'openly' gay also.
      What does that have to do with the fact that the government is allowing the drug industry to poison their own people so they can sell us the drugs to make us feel better about it?
      I don't give a fuck who or what these people choose to snuggle up with under the sheets. The simple fact is that all of them are continuing to allow the dope man to jack off in the American people's food supply to make us crave more of their crack to make us feel better as we're dying from the diseases they gave us.
      One of my good friends from back home that watches tv all the time called me yesterday to let me know that Bill Mahr confronted one of the guest on his show about how this system is poisoning their own people, a congressman or something. He said he didn't respond. I'm so glad I never got politics, it sounds like a horrible infection that's destroyed otherwise intelligent people's brains !

    • 2 years ago
  • booksellergirl
  • jac1992
  • Nettle
  • asherp
  • LadybugLady
  • Acedia
  • Mudboy16
  • bailey78
    • 0
      bailey78  

    • And the big deal is what???????????? Atleast We know where he stands. I don't care what a Politician does on his or her own time. Just so long as he or she is doing there job. Do you want your boss telling you. What to do or who you can or can't see. This is still America right? We are still free for now Right?

    • 2 years ago
  • current89
  • spanky07
  • bailey78
  • hunzedog
  • bailey78
  • irtehjoe
    • 0
      irtehjoe  

    • I don't understand why this guys being openly gay even matters. If the
      man is the best guy for the job then he should get the job, being gay shouldn't even have been brought up.

    • 2 years ago
  • bailey78
  • Miss_Maggie
  • mister_t
    • 0
      mister_t  
    • irtehjoe:

      While I agree that this is a political move and a minor post, I don't think it is very honest of us as a society to hide that this is somewhat of a milestone. Society cannot evolve without "self"awareness of its own condition. We cannot overcome our prejudicial viewpoints without being aware of them. As they say, the first step is denial,,,so let's stop denying that this is significant in some way while not blowing it out of proportion.

    • 2 years ago
  • irtehjoe
    • 0
      irtehjoe  
    • irtehjoe:

      thats not true munzik, its just something that the media knows will immediately get the general publics attention. he may be openly gay but that doesnt mean we can generalize and say that he's happy that his lifestyle is getting splashed all over the headlines instead of his very prestigious new appointment.

      i dont care who a person loves, what faith they follow or what country they are from, i just want to know that they are doing the best they can for the people they work for and in this case those people are all of us Americans.

      please, media, if you are listening i want you to stop the shenanagins and just give this guy a proverbial high five for his accomplishment not smear it for the sake of the sale.

    • 2 years ago
  • eriatarka23
  • bailey78
  • remanns
  • Nettle
  • JanforGore
    • 0
      JanforGore  

    • Election years and polls do have a way of changing things. I guess this is supposed to negate the fact that he had an anti-gay minister deliviering the salutation at the inauguration. Politics.

    • 2 years ago
  • current89
    • 0
      current89  
    • JanforGore:

      "Election years and polls do have a way of changing things."

      1. This isn't an election year.

      2. His polls are up by about 6% points and support for his handling of the economy and health care reform are up.

    • 2 years ago
  • JanforGore
    • 0
      JanforGore  
    • JanforGore:

      It's an election year in NJ, in NY, and I would guess other states. You are so adept regarding political issues that you don't realize we are voting for a new Governor next month that is being threatened by a Republican said to be ahead of him in polls? If you think what happens in DC doesn't reflect on that then you don't know as much about how politics works as you try to make people here think you do. Same old rhetoric.

    • 2 years ago
  • remanns
    • 0
      remanns  
    • JanforGore:

      "iamfree" is just making a wild swing in the hope it will connect and start something.

      - Best move; turn to the side,...let its force pass by with minimal energy spent in response.-

    • 2 years ago
  • current89
    • 0
      current89  
    • JanforGore:

      "It's an election year in NJ, in NY, and I would guess other states. "

      Of course I realize that there's an election in NJ, In fact I've been volunteering for the Corzine Camp for the past 3 months or so. but there isn't a major election in NY (only a special Congressional election that Republicans are sure to win because the district always goes Republican). As to your guess, no there are no other major State elections aside from NJ and Va.

      Also I responded to your post over 5 hours ago on a similar issue.

      http://current.com/items/91123204_president-obama-to-make-major-gay-rights-speec...

      "If you think what happens in DC doesn't reflect on that then you don't know as much about how politics works as you try to make people here think you do."

      It really doesn't in (this) case. Appointing a homosexual ambassador will not give a boost to the Democratic Candidate for Gov in Va.; Why? Because Va. is a fairly conservative state and as you well know conservative states are not all that fond of the gay-rights movement.

      As to NJ the populous is fine with homosexuality and everyone knows Corzine is pro same sex marriage so how would it benefit his poll #s? Don't answer that, because you don't have an adequate response.

      "you don't know as much about how politics works as you try to make people here think you do"

      I don't try to make my fellow community members think anything about me and i have no reason to.

    • 2 years ago
  • Nettle
  • timetide
    • 0
      timetide  

    • damn. he is sure trying to win us back. of course its not like we have any other option but the Dem's, but the attention is nice.

    • 2 years ago
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