(CNSNews.com) - Sens. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.) responded on Thursday to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Peter Pace's comments that homosexual behavior is "immoral," but only after they were criticized for failing to do so by a homosexual advocacy group.
"Well, I've heard from a number of my friends, and I've certainly clarified with them any misunderstanding that anyone had, because I disagree with General Pace completely," Clinton told Bloomberg News. "I do not think homosexuality is immoral."
Also on Thursday, Obama released a statement on the issue. "I do not agree with General Pace that homosexuality is immoral," the Illinois Democrat noted. "Attempts to divide people like this have consumed too much of our politics over the past six years."
The remarks by the 2008 presidential candidates differed dramatically from their comments on the issue made earlier in the week.
On Tuesday, an ABC reporter asked Clinton whether homosexuality is immoral, and she replied: "Well, I am going to leave that to others to conclude."
A spokesman for the junior senator from New York later said that she disagrees with Pace.
On Wednesday, reporters also pressed Obama for reaction to Pace's comments. "Traditionally, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman has restricted his public comments to military matters," the Illinois Democrat said. "That's probably a good tradition to follow."
The lack of open criticism from Clinton and Obama brought a sharp response from Jo Wyrick, executive director of the National Stonewall Democrats, on Thursday.
Without mentioning either of the 2008 presidential candidates by name, Wyrick said that "most Democrats understand, and should understand, that morality isn't derived from sexual orientation or gender identity."
"Morality is how you treat your neighbor, support your community and sacrifice for your family and country," Wyrick said in the news release. "When I tuck my daughter into bed at night, those are the values I teach her.
"We expect Democratic candidates and elected officials to reaffirm those same values, to speak up when families or individuals are scapegoated or maligned for political gain, and to proactively argue the benefits of treating all Americans equally under the law without regard to their sexual orientation or gender identity," she added.
"Morality is also embodied in action," Wyrick stated. "Our Democratic presidential candidates support employment non-discrimination legislation, the extension of health-care benefits to our families and oppose constitutional amendments that attack lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people for political gain.
"Those are moral actions and positions that each candidate should be proud to campaign on," she said.
"National Stonewall Democrats looks forward to further working with our Democratic candidates so that, in the future, they can speak with moral clarity and continue to positively partner with our community," Wyrick noted.
As Cybercast News Service previously reported, Pace said during an interview with the Chicago Tribune that "I believe homosexual acts between two individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts." He also stated that adultery is immoral.
"I do not believe the United States is well served by a policy that says it is OK to be immoral in any way," the general told the newspaper.
Along with her criticism of Clinton and Obama, Wyrick had harsh words regarding Pace's comments.
"We expect President Bush to condemn these remarks out of respect for our men and women who are currently serving and dying in Afghanistan and Iraq," she noted.
"It is immoral to send our service members into battle without the proper equipment or plan," Wyrick stated. "It is immoral to deny them proper medical care upon their return, and it is immoral to revoke support for our troops based on this misguided policy reaffirmed by General Pace and the White House."
However, several conservative politicians and religious leaders are rallying to support Pace, who was the subject of a letter sent to President Bush by Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) on Thursday.
The letter from the GOP 2008 presidential candidate called the criticism of the general "both unfair and unfortunate."
"We should not expect someone as qualified, accomplished and articulate as General Pace to lack personal views on important moral issues,'' Brownback said. "In fact, we should expect that anyone entrusted with such great responsibility will have strong moral views."
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff also received support Thursday in a news release from Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality.
"Gen. Pace gave voice to historic Judeo-Christian beliefs when he said that both homosexual acts and adultery are immoral, yet instantly he was accused of blind prejudice and called a homophobe," he noted.
LaBarbera also called on the media not to take sides in the culture war over homosexuality and to cover what he called the homosexual movement's "CSI" strategy of "Censoring, Smearing and Intimidating" critics.
