Bush official says Ken Mehlman is straight

According to Raw Story, the new issue of GQ (only available I'm told in a few towns so far) has a Bush official on the record saying that the chair of the RNC Ken Mehlman is NOT gay. (Raw story has a tease up right now, when the story is really up I'll link to it.)

Keep in mind that for the past year Ken and the Bush officials have refused to answer any questions about Ken's now-reported heterosexuality "on the record." According to my sources at several publications, several stories about Ken over the past year were even killed in the mainstream press over this issue. Which is a bit odd if he's straight. I mean, it would be like someone preparing to out me as straight, jeopardizing my status as a gay powerbroker or whatever, and I chose to let that status be jeopardized for a year rather than confirming for a reporter on the record the obvious fact that yes, I'm gay. That would be odd.

Anyway, if Ken is straight, more power to him (except that he's a rabid homophobe, or at least is willing to use rabid homophobia for political gain). But if he were gay, and just had surrogates publicly lie and say he's straight, I think this suddenly becomes a whole new ball game.

It's one thing to defend a closeted gay person because you feel sorry for him, regardless of how much evil he's doing to the gay community. It's quite another when that closeted gay person starts to publicly deny who they really are, and you KNOW who they really are. That crosses a line, and often isn't forgiven (i.e., those protecting you suddenly start to talk publicly once you start publicly lying.)

Only time will tell whether Ken is straight or a liar.