Republican audience boos retired gay general during CNN's YouTube debate

Keith Kerr, a 43-year military veteran and retired brigadier general was one of the ones chosen to ask a question in Wednesday nights CNN/YouTube debate. The only problem is that the Republican audience booed Kerr as they tried to shout him down during a follow-up. Classy, huh? Why should that surprise anyone. After all, it's Bush who let soldiers languish in horrendous conditions at the Walter Reed Hospital.

Kerr specifically asked the Republican candidates including Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and Representative Duncan Hunter why "American men and women in uniform are not professional enough to serve with gays and lesbians?"

Romney, who was for gays in the military before he was against it, dodged the question when pressed by the debate's host Anderson Cooper. Romney said he'd have to consult with the military. Governor Mike Huckabee said, “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 Duncan Hunter spoke of, I think that’s what is at issue, and that’s why our policy is what it is.”

Huckabee referred to Hunter's convoluted response which was:

“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 breakfast table and go out and serve in the military, 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 openly homosexual, who goes against what they believe to be their principles -- and it is their principles -- is I think a disservice to them. And I agree with Colin Powell that it would be bad for unit cohesion.”

That makes sense since this isn't actually a Democracy or anything and the bigotry of a few should certainly trump the rights of minorities. Oy. You can see a clip of Kerr being interviewed after the jump.