Pace mildly regrets gay comments

WASHINGTON – Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, expressed mild regret Tuesday for calling homosexual acts “immoral,” but he stopped short of an apology as gay rights groups and a powerful Republican senator rebuked the general for his comments.

As critics fired rhetorical volleys, Pace issued a statement expressing regret that he had put so much stress on the morality issue when he defended the Pentagon’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” ban on gays serving openly in the military during a Monday interview.

“In expressing my support for the current policy, I also offered some personal opinions about moral conduct,” Pace said in his statement. “I should have focused more on my support of the policy and less on my personal moral views.”

But this statement did not mollify critics who called the general’s statements insensitive and outrageous and said he should apologize.

Pace’s statements in the interview turned into a huge news story on radio, television and the Internet during the day and showed how sensitive the Pentagon’s policy has become.

The incident provided a strong hint that Congress may hold hearings this year on the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy approved during the Clinton administration, which allows gays to serve in the military as long as they do not disclose their sexual orientation. That clue came when Sen. John Warner, R-Va., a senior Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, took issue with the general.

“I respectfully but strongly disagree with the chairman’s view that homosexuality is immoral,” the senator said.