Washington: In a sharp rebuke of his Republican rivals, US President Barack Obama has said that anyone who wants to be commander in chief must support the entire US military, including gay service members.
A combative Obama criticised Republican presidential candidates for staying silent when the crowd at a recent debate booed a gay soldier who asked a question of the contenders via videotape.
"You want to be commander in chief? Start with standing up for the men and women who wear the uniform," Obama said during remarks at the annual dinner of the Human Rights Council, the nation's largest gay rights organisation.
Obama touted his administration's efforts to repeal the military's ban on openly gay service members, as well as his orders to the Justice Department to stop enforcing a law defining marriage as between one man and one woman.
But, as expected, Obama stopped short of endorsing gay marriage, saying only that "every single American deserves to be treated equally in the eyes of the law."
Obama has said his views on gay marriage are "evolving," but for now he only supports civil union. Obama's position on gay marriage has become a sore point for some gay activists who say they're otherwise pleased with the president's handling of issues important to them.
Some of the president's backers say he could be wasting a chance to energise key segments of his base, including young people, if he doesn't publicly advocate for gay marriage.
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