Lawmakers grill critic of gays in military

Democrats and Republicans lambasted Elaine Donnelly, the president of the Center for Military Readiness, during a hearing on Wednesday that focused on the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

Rep. Vic Snyder (D-Ark.) chastised her for stating that gays in the military raise the risk for HIV infection.

{mosads}“The armed forces cannot afford the elevated risk of disruptive homosexual conduct in the ranks,” Donnelly said in her statement. “That risk is even more dangerous when HIV infection enters the picture.”

Rep. Susan Davis (D-Calif.) had been pressing her colleagues on the Armed Services Committee to review the 1993 policy that bans military service for people who are openly gay. On Wednesday, Davis finally got her wish as she presided over the hearing in the Military Personnel subcommittee she chairs.

The Pentagon refused to participate.

Three of the five witnesses testifying favored the repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, but Donnelly got the most attention as her statements infuriated all but a few of the members present at the hearing.

Directly attacking Donnelly’s testimony, Snyder sarcastically said, “We ought to recruit only lesbians in the military,” because they have the lowest incidence of HIV and AIDS.

Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.) a freshman who served in the Army, was visibly enraged, assailing Donnelly over her statements that allowing openly gay people to serve in the military would hurt unit cohesion. He charged that Donnelly implied that the straight men and women in the military “are not professional enough” to be able to maintain unit cohesion.

“This is an insult to me and many of the soldiers,” said Murphy, who served in the Iraq war.

Murphy pointed out that 24 other countries allow openly gay people to serve in the military.

“People have sexual feelings and they are not perfect,” Donnelly said in an attempt to counter Murphy’s tempestuous reaction.

Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D-N.H.) asked Donnelly, “When did you decide you were heterosexual? Do you think you are just what you are?”

Donnelly did not ingratiate herself with the two leaders of the hearing, Davis and Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.), by saying that the “San Francisco left” is pushing the issue to repeal the law and that polls showing a majority of Americans favoring openly gay people serving in the military “are not an accurate reflection of what Americans think.”

Tauscher is the sponsor of a bill seeking to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell.” The bill has 163 supporters, including Davis and five Republicans.  Tauscher rolled her eyes at Donnelly several times during the testimony.

Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.), a co-sponsor of Tauscher’s bill, said that it “is absolutely cruel” to oppose the repeal.