Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld admitted this week that he was stumped by a question about whether he supported gay marriage rights.
Speaking with Larry King on Ora TV, Rumsfeld spoke about his support for repealing the military's "don't ask, don't tell" gay exclusion policy, before conceding that he was more conflicted about marriage equality.
“You know, I'm, I guess, of a generation that I don't ... I listened to some of the Supreme Court justices and one of them said, 'Well what's next after that? Is it two people, three people?'” the 80-year-old Rumsfeld told King, seemingly referencing a question raised by Justice Sonia Sotomayor during a case over California's Proposition 8 gay marriage ban earlier this year.
King noted Rumsfeld's work for civil rights during his time in Congress, but the former Illinois congressman said he considered gay rights a separate issue.
“I guess I just don't equate the two," Rumsfeld said. "It's not a subject I'm knowledgeable about. I guess the Rumsfeld rule here is: I don't know.”
After leaving the George W. Bush administration, Rumsfeld invited speculation about his views on gay rights when he wouldn't directly endorse Bush's anti-gay positions, instead opting for a more vague answer.
"The administration has positions on these things," he told GQ in a 2007 interview when asked about gay marriage. "And if you're part of the administration, you're supportive of the administration."
(Watch the video above.)
Before You Go
