Mark in Birmingham, AL the comment you made about not wanting to live 24 hours a day with gay men because your worried they'll check you out is absolutely the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Do you honestly think a gay man joins the military to check you out? NO, they are there to serve their country just like you are.

Not every gay person is a perve contrary to what the republicans want you to believe, just like not every hetero is a perve. Your comment once again proves how narrow minded those in the republican party truely are. If you are so uncomfortable about the situation, maybe your questioning your own sexual orientation. I happen to have many gay friends and they are the most loyal friends you could ever have, it never crosses my mind to think "Oh god I hope their not checking me out, that's sick." They are just like anyone else human.

As a 20 year retired Navy Vet., I do not want to live 24 hours a day with a gay man in my berthing, my shower, and my latrine. That is like putting hetero men and women in the same berthing. They are going to check you out. If they say they are not go to check outtheir shipmates they lie better than lawyers and politiciians. If they allow gays to serve openly the only way it will work is to have seperate berthing, showers, and latrines or give the hetrosexuals the privilage of checking out the opposite sex they are attracted to by coed showers and berthing. The civilains in this blog do not understand that you do not just work with them and then go home to the privacy of your home, you have to live in close quarters 24 hours a day for months at a time.

the point some of you people are missing is that cnn flew this guy in to ask his question. if he was just someone who sent in a video then i could understand the oversight but if they took the time to book this guys flight and pay for it you,im sorry i, would think they would check his background. think about if the dems had the courage to debate on foxnews and someone on a committe for gulliani asked a question how do you think the media would have reacted? i can tell you this it wouldn't have been swept under the rug and treated as a honest mistake.

This bears repeating as NONE of you sheep can answer the question as you know it is the truth.

Maybe that's why you are voting for Hillarity.

"IF this guy was part of someone's Republican campaign and this debate was on Fox, all you progressives would have no problems with ANY question that they asked, correct?"

Who cares! It was a question that needed to be asked! If I were a republican I think twice before voting for any of those guys. They are out to strip women of their rights and start a tidal wave on the gay community. Vote Democrat.

it does not really matter who he works for, it was a VALID question.

It is obvious that CNN is still the Clinton News Network. Not only is the general involved in the Klinton Kampaign, he is a high ranking member at that. CNN threw softball questions to the Democrats posed by Democrat supporters with one possible exception. While it was Democrat supporters asking questions delibertly slanted to make the Republicans look bad. YOUR NETWORK IS A FRAUD!

IF this guy was part of someone's Republican campaign and this debate was on Fox, all you progressives would have no problems with ANY question that they asked, correct?

Yeah, and there's this bridge.

At last count the amount of supposed "undecided" debate voters who have proven ties to Democrats is up to 5, but the day is still young.

How do you plant a question when they had thousands of questions to choose from. People, let's get real

actually the man isnt even a general he is a colonel!! The Brig. General apparently was an honorary title given at retirement.

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=23698

Screw you CNN. Even if you don't post a single post contrary to your agenda, we all know you're not a real news agency, and that you're just a bunch of useful idiots for the socialist Hillary Clinton and the rest of the far left commie facist controllers of the now defunkt democrat party. And the last laugh is on you, by all of us who don't need morons like you to tell us what to think. Have a nice day

Shame on the General for allowing himself to be a cheap useful idiot for the clinton campaign in more of their shady shenanigans. And shame on him again for living a lie for 43 years rather than coming out of the closet. He is not the upstanding citizen everyone is whining he is, he is dishonest.

Shame on those audience members who booed the general.

I am simply amazed that so many people automatically assume that 1) Hillary planted the question and 2)CNN was taking sides. Who cares? The question was totally valid, needed to be asked and answered (it wasn't), and if I have any complaint about the debate it was that three of the candidates got most of the talking time. WHY? If anything, more pointed questions should have been used? We are talking about leadership of the – supposedly – leader of the free world. Who cares about the Red Sox/Yankees in this context? Or about pearls and diamonds? And the next time, don't apologize for using a valid question. I am irritated by all the comments assuming the question was planted, and somewhat disappointed in CNN.

Has anyone considered the possiblity that this veteran did this on his own initiative? Is he still working for the Clinton campaign? Even if he is, that does not lessen his right to speak out and express his own opinion independently of his committment.

Nick, Atlanta, Ga

he SERVED on the committee of a gay rights orginization that doesnt mean he works for clinton. they are preety far removed from eachother especially because of one little fact….hes a republican…yes a gay republican…

First of all this broke the CNN format. Why did that happen unless to embarass the repubs! Will CNN allow something like this to happen during a Dem debate? They haven't yet will be not in the future! CNN, you just got busted for your bias!

Who cares if he works for Hillary's campaign? Since when does that mean that a question cannot be asked? That is ludicrous. When Bennett mentioned that last night I couldn't believe it.

So this means that Republicans are only suppose to receive questions from Republican voters? That's not democracy folks!

I actually think CNN should have allowed the questions that some of the democratic candidates put up on youtube to the republican candidates.

Also, I thought the debate was pathetic. No questions about healthcare, education, etc. It only focused on the one topic that republicans are drooling over…immigration.

Once again the republicans get away without telling us what they would do with domestic IMPORTANT issues.

Why did CNN substitute this non issue question for the one on Health Care reform?

I felt a deep sympathy for Gen. Kerr when he presented his case at the Republican Debate last night.

This morning, I learn that he is another Hillary Clinton plant.

I now feel that I have been manipulated once again by this Clinton tactic, and I have determined that there are absolutely no circumstances which will allow me to vote for Hillary.

I will not be lied to or manipulated by a candidate that is in office to serve the American people.

This is the last straw with Hillary. I am finished.

Well, as further odd coincidence for the evening – did anyone notice that the guy who asked the last question of Ron Paul ALSO asked a question in the democratic youtube debate? out of those thousands of submissions, this guy gets to ask two over two debates?

this debate was just as fixed as the rest of them. But instead of being a Hilary love-fest, it was a Huckabee love-fest. Yawn.

as a christian I could care less if your gay, just dont be mad that I think its icky. i cant believe they booed this man, that is just flat out wrong. his service outways his sexual orientation in my book.

I didn't have a problem with the initial question posed by the brigadier general. What got me most is that CNN invited Mr. Kerr to personally attend the debate and asked him, live on camera, whether or not his question had been answered. Mr. Kerr took the opportunity to make his own speech that lasted longer than the answers given by the republican candidates. It became pretty obvious that the general was grand standing.

It doesn't surprise me that the liberal left would plant someone to futher and agenda most Americans disagree with. It does surprise me that of all the people who asked questions it was the plant who CNN asked to personally attend the debate.

President Clinton OK'd that policy. Why would a Clinton plant be against it??

The fact that Kerr, who works for Hillary Clinton campaign, was allowed to not only pose a question via YouTube but also live at the debate without CNN doing any background check on him shows how much of a joke CNN is. One word CNN: "Google."

the audience booed Him!???

this man gave 43 years of his life to his country and all they can do is boo him for being gay?

This is disgusting and reprehensible and just goes to show the frat boy mentality of the Republican party these days.

I'd be happy to serve as President of general Kerr's Courts Martial Board.

I was an officer in the US Army for 5 years and two deployments to Iraq… I would have NO PROBLEM serving with an openly gay or lesbian soldier. I am more concerned with whether a soldier knows how to do his or her job rather than their sexual orientation. This is why I don't like Republicans, I can't stand bigoted people. Right now there are homosexuals serving in the military, and that other service members know about their lifestyle, and they DONT CARE AS LONG AS THEY CAN DO THEIR JOBS.

Funny how some people seem also seem to think that homosexuals don't make good soldiers (kind of similar to the way some bigots thought black people would not make good soldiers a long time ago). Remember a guy named Alexander the Great? He was bisexual. He also conquered most of the ancient world and kept his army together for years on the march. Sounds like a good soldier to me.

Finally someone mentions free speach. Anyone can ask a question. It doesn't matter if a republican asks a democrat, or a democrat asks a republican. If it is a valid question, it should be asked. It would appear then that no one would complain if it the same question was asked by someone else of equal rank then?

The response to this question was sickening! The booing was unacceptable! I'm so sick of bigotry. It's a shame the Republican party stands behind such ignorance!

I think CNN is a bit biased to the Dems just as Fox is to the Repubs. Allowing someone of a rival's political advisory committee to ask a question is a bit overboard, and then continuing to let him rant in the audience was severely discrediting to CNN. That said, his question was a good one and viewers were given good insight into certain candidates position on the subject or in Mitt Romney's case, lack of any position.
CNN has a chance here to emerge as a premiere and honest news agency, if they quickly and loudly admit to the error and even go so far as to rebuke Kerr for knowingly plant himself.

It seems to me that the "planted question" is a question that was correctly planted.

If the hopefuls for the Presidency cannot answer the questions posed by ANY American (let alone one with Kerr's service record) than does that candidate deserve to lead our nation?

By law employers cannot discriminate against any individual based on race, sexuality or religion, except for the United States Military. Why the double standard, land of opportunity?

I'm tired of hearing of the gay and lesbian issues. Do you really think that the majority of Americans are concerned about that. When do we start working on real issues. Why does this subject take so much time on the national news especially on CNN. How about talking about what concerns American families instead of garbage. All CNN proved by giving this guy a microphone and time was that they wanted to put the republican candidates on the spot. Looked like a setup job to me. CNN is as liberal as FOX is conservative. What about reporting unbiased news for a refreshing change!!!

gay or not gay, those people who serve in the military have a job to do, to protect the country. gay or not its their own personal rights and style of life. if you are gay or not you should keep it to your self.

Not that I had much left, but I think I've lost all respect for Mitt Romney. If this was a question regarding prayer he would have said "yeah, all for it"…but what about Muslim students who pray in school he'd say that was a "distraction" or cause "moral problems." If you're old enough to be in the military, you're old enough to be a grown up and suck it in that not everybody agrees with you.

it is stuff like this that makes me want to go somewhere else for my "news".

I am getting tired of the blatant campaigning that CNN does. Stick to the News and stay out of politics.

Why does CNN even get to do a debate? all they do is muck it up. Why not have some sort of journalist or someone who isn't a sell out moderate? Anderson Cooper I am sure gets a check from the Hillary Campaign. I really can't believe that CNN is so incompetent that they wouldn't know the background of the brig. gen. the question is why was he the only one in the audience and why did he get extra time? also I am glad they talked about the stars and bars instead of spending more time on something important.

What difference does it make whom Mr.Kerr supports or works for?He presented a legitimate question to a topic that is just idiotic.The arguments that some in the miltary have used against having gay and lesbians serve are ridiculous.It brings back memories of arguments against having women serve in certain combat roles. I speak from experience.I served in the Air Force during the 80's as a security specialist. At the time women were also banned from this career choice.The arguments were the same as they are now concerning homo-sexuals.The policy changed-women were given the go ahead to become security specialist.The first arrived in our unit.The reaction was:"what on earth was the big deal all about?" My point is we now have female fighter pilots-openly homo-sexual elected public office holders.Yet some in the military and Republican politicians still kling to their old hat arguments about gays in the military.How grown people decide to lead their personal lives is nobodies business.It's time to move on to more pressing problems facing our nation.Gays should also have the right to serve their country also if they so choose.

Regardless of whether or not the question was planted by Hillary Clinton, this question shows the great divide in our country and the need for a leader who will bring this country together. It amazes me that most of the Republican candidates (with the exception of Ron Paul) favor a continuing presence in Iraq, but seem so staunchly opposed to gays and lesbians serving openly in the military and serving our country. Let's get real and stop worrying about the boogyman in the closet and bring back freedom in America!

Hey Nick, the last time I checked this is the USA and we do have freedom of speech. He's a registered voter, he has a right to ask any candidate a question regardless of party affiliation. CNN you need to be harder on these candidates like you are with the dems.

Hmmmmmm…..my goodness, CNN. How surprising!! From what Bill Bennett said, he was being plastered with emails as soon as the gentleman spoke up. Maybe you'd like to hire a few dozen of Bill's friends to do the crackerjack work of spotting a plant. No embarrassing apologies later!

It was stunning moment to have not only the Republican candidates dismissing a former GENERAL, but to have an audience booing a man calling for the most basic of civil rights.

The same exact–literally word per word– fallacious and bigoted arguments were made when some brave individuals demanded blacks be allowed to serve in the military.

Congratulations to the General!

Wow, class act by the Republican audience members booing a retired general.

"Support Our Troops – Until They Speak Their Minds"

The supposed Republican woman in the "post-game analysis show" who said she decided to vote for Edwards after the debate is also likely a plant. Any Republican with a working brain would NEVER go from Republican to as far left as Edwards, unless they had brain damage from some accident or some mind control drugs with programming by a lib.

Looks like Kerr fell on a political grenade for CNN and Hillary. It's obvious that he was a plant and that CNN was complicit in the act. Cooper of all people should know who this guy is. Was it coincidence that he was the only questioner in attendance? I think not.

Hillary's camp was caught again only this time a major news netork was in bed with her.

Why doesn't this network post a disclaimer at the beginning of each segment telling the viewer that CNN is an affiliate of the Hillary for president campaign?

CNN — do your homework on the background of who asks these questions — your reputation for partisan politics was just confirmed for me tonight in the way you screened this questioner — there is no excuse to have a member of a democratic campaign asking a question in a republican debate.

CNN obviously knew ahead of time who the questioner was. And yet, I bet they don't hold themselves responsible. More shady work by the Clinton News Network

I don't remember the Dems getting tough questions on partial-birth abortion or the redefinition of marraige, but the Rs get multiple gay questions and a Clinton adviser gets an extended rant. Could it be because AC is in charge? He seems to be in favor of "don't ask, don't tell."

In the current system of "don't ask, don't tell" and in the previous system of barring gays from serving period, a person could, in the event of a draft, get out of it by simply claiming to be gay. This increase in draft dodging could severly affect our army's ability to fight, especially in a war of the magnitude of world war II.

I can't wait to hear the conservative response to this.

His working for Hillary has no bearing on the substance of his question or their failure to answer.

I for one am tired of the contributions of gay Americans being swept under the rug. And it is shameful that the Republicans in that audience would boo a 43-year military veteran. Downright disgusting.

I love how CNN expects their audience to buy the idea this was an honest journalistic mistake. Funny how the guy who works for Clinton is the ONLY person who asked a question that was given airtime in the viewing audience. They honestly expect us to believe, they knew he had front row seating to this Republican event, planned to give him a microphone and equal time with the candidates, and never once checked his credentials? Either CNN is incredibly biased or their staff is incredibly incompetent, or both.

Couldn't they have checked this out before running him out there? Only questioner that had a platform, seems odd to me. Agree or disagree with the question being asked, it is still suspect to me. And by the way, he did get an answer from Hunter, just not the one he liked and now we know why. Though I suspect CNN knew this all along.

Seriously? You put the man in the audience, with a microphone for a follow-up to his YouTube question and you didn't research his background? I'm sure you can see how this is hard for us to believe!

What were you thinking planting this retired military person in the audience? Did anyone else have a microphone? Was any other U Tube presenter asked to join the debate in person? This is exactly why I stopped watching CNN years ago, please you have been doing so much better lately. Be fair, and please don't think that we are stupid enough to believe that "he" just showed up.

I thought it was extremely disrespectful how the audience booed this man. I also think it's unfortunate we still have such backward thinkers today who think that if something is tradition or has "worked" for so long that that makes it right. If so, then we'd still have slavery and women still wouldn't be able to vote. I don't see the harm in a gay person serving in the military. It's ridiculous to think that sexual orientation in any way affects ones ability to defend their country

It was a valid question so why does it matter who he was? Did you watch the Democrat Youtube debate? Republicans asked questions there. :O Shocking isn't it?
The guy served YOU for 40+ years and you judge him based on what he does in his bedroom. I still don't understand why you xstians picked this one sin to focus on

It doesnt matter if he was a plant or not. It doesnt change the fact that for years we have been fighting the Bigots, the Racists and the Neo Nazis of this world.. and yet here they are under the guise of politicians.

If your child was hurt while on a tour of duty, would you care whether the Medic/Covering fire/Rescue pilot or whoever, was gay ? Would you leave your child on the battlefield ? I thought not, give this person the proper respect or take his place and go to war yourself, you all make me sick.

The Clinton campaign didn't "have to" plant questions in the Dem debate either, but they did. They don't call CNN the Clinton News Network for nothing.

This should be a non-issue. The importance should be on professionalism in the military. Sexual preference should never come up in the workplace, civilian or military, straight or gay.

This man was in the military for 43 years (43 years more than most candidates) he would not have been there if he were not professional.

Kerr is listed under the link from hillaryclinton.com, but that doesn't change the fact that he served in the military for a long time and that there are homosexuals who serve today and risk their lives, and that homosexuals have been killed in the line of duty.

The idiotic discrimination that is shown to them must end. A couple of generations ago, these same candidates would have been opposed to racial integration in the military because of "unit cohesiveness." There were plenty of good conservative boys in generations past who weren't comfortable with serving alongside African Americans, for example.

Hey CNN, nice job with the plant of the gay General. It is clear why no one endowed with any critical thinking skills whatsoever takes your broadcasts seriously.

I don't even think Fox News would have done something that stupid.

I was disgusted that there was "booing" in the audience as this man spoke. These are the people who claim to "support the troops" yet this man serves for 43 years and he gets booed for his sexual orientation that in no way affected his service to this nation. It was also incredibly disrepectful they way none of the candidates–particuarly Romney–fully answered the question.

I also do not think CNN did anything to "plant" a Hillary supporter. He was a man with a unique background that really highlights an important issue. It puts a face to the issue itself and really puts the candidates on the spot. There was no mention of his political affiliation–one can assume liberal, but that was not clear and he might just as easily been a Log Cabin Republican–nor who he supports (apparently Clinton, I'm reading). It did nothing to support Hillary Clinton or her campaign. Why was this so shameful?

The audience booing Kerr is sickening. I've always voted Republican but I've always been for gay rights. I was disgusted that a man who served our country as a General could be treated so bad. The same book that lists homosexuality as a sin also lists eating pork as a sin. I just don't understand why xstians pick that "sin" to rally around. Treating a vet like that just cost the Republicans my vote. If Hillary is the nominee for the Democrats I'll be staying home in 08.

there she goes again…planting questions all over the place

SAD!!

As a conservative gay man who is too cowardly to serve in the military and cannot become President (I was born in Ireland), I have to tow the party line and assert that this was not a flip-flop, unless Hillary said it.

Wow, Mitt wouldn't even answer the question! (but he didnt answer a whole lot tonight at all anyway)

Gays should be treated no differently than heterosexuals! If you want to keep gay people quiet, then heterosexual people need to be quite as well. There is no reason to discriminate against people because of their sexual orientation!

This is the same thing that would have been discussed about African-American Troops in the corps 60 years ago.

Also, I'm sure that there are members of the military that have ideological problems with other religious groups within the military. How is this significantly different?

While I would agree that this is not the time that this issue should take center stage, I guess that I feel in that, in the long run, the unit will adapt…just like it has every time in the past.

Come on CNN! Everybody knows you knew this was a CLINTON operative. And by the way, the moron who disguised herself as a voter in your group of 24 who said she had decided to vote for EDWARDS, is also a plant and YOU KNOW IT. You must think we're morons, but you're the real morons to think you have a chance of pulling this off!

A needed question but did we need another Hillary plant? Nice that CNN found out AFTER the fact that the general is part of a Hilliary Clinton task force and owned up to the fact they blew it.

What more proof do you need that Hilliary will do whatever it takes to get elected.

Oh, nice job CNN on mucking up another debate.

The retired general just so happens to be a member of Hillary Clinton's "LGBT Americans For Hillary Steering Committe". So not only did CNN stage the Democratic debate in Vegas with Democratic activists but they also plant a Hillary activist during the Republican debate. Why is CNN carying water for Hillary?

I'm hearing this man might be working or volunteering for another candidate's campaign? If this is true, can CNN add this to the blog?

In effect he said that we should perpetuate discrimination because we have for so long. Sticking with a mistake doesn’t correct it.

I knew Republicans hated the troops, but wow, this is ridiculous. Booing a veteran who has served this country so well is a disgrace!

The audience booed a 43-year veteran of the United States Army simply because he's gay. Just another reminder why I vote Democrat.

The answers from Republican candidates to this question are disappointing enough. But to have the Republican crowd boo a retired general just reinforces the message about who "supports the troops."

Democrats honor the service of all. But to get the respect of Republicans, service isn't enough. You have to support their backward and provincial prejudices and share their peculiar hatreds. If you don't measure up, you're swiftboated.

This question was a waste of valuable debate time.

You know that is what's disgusting about republicans is that they would rather see a man or women be put out on the streets to secure thier own personel beliefs than have someone be proud of thiers! Im done with the stupidity of America! Im straight and would not think twice about who was gay that was standing aside me in battle. For all of you that support this you make me sick! Republicans you will not be elected for 08!

I'm sure this one won't be posted. I noticed that the commentator went directly to the Christian conservtives with this question. The soldiers I know say they don't want a gay man or woman being in close quarters with them. It does seem that the don't ask don't tell is working. So leave it alone.

Oh please, this guy is just lost without his power base at a brig. general . He's lukcy he got singled out. That should feed his ego until he writes that "book" that no doubt will follow his little 15 min. of fame.

After the debate, William Bennett told Anderson Cooper that he had heard Mr. Kerr was working for the Clinton campaign and that this should have been disclosed; Anderson Cooper agreed that if true, it should, in fact, have been disclosed.

Whatr's missing here is that if this is NOT true, then CNN has been complicit in allowing Bill Bennett to spin against Clinton. In that event, CNN needs to disavow itself of Bennett and his allegation, and needs to cut ties with Bennett as a panelist.

When is someone going to stand up to McCain on anything military? I get it, he's a patriot. But they always defer to him.

http://ipolitical.blogspot.com/

As a very strong Romney supporter I will admit that his answer to this question was wrong. He dodged the question and should have had a better response. When a homosexual asks a question on youtube his answer would have been different. Same goes for all candidates. But since the former general was actually attending the debate it through Romney off and if other candidates were asked the same question they all would have been thrown off.

The gay rights issue was a very small part of the two hour debate. Immigration, taxes, and the Iraq questions and responses were much more substantive. Give us the news, not your personal biases when reporting the news. We expect more professionalism from an organization like CNN!!!

It's funny to see the policy that CNN screens these with some prior posters. Anyway, I think the debate's kind of corny, especially these idiots from the internet. "Do you believe this book!!!". I've posted my rant, feel free to enjoy. http://ipolitical.blogspot.com/

I think it's sad they treated this vet like they did.

Should of asked the whole platform their answers.

According to a press release on 6/27/07, this exact same man, Keith Kerr, is a member of Hilary Clinton's "LGBT Americans For Hillary Steering Committee".

Why was he allowed to question the GOP nominees during a primary debate? He works for the Democratic frontrunner?