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February 25, 2005 Recordings show early Bush views on gays Washington, D.C.--Secretly recorded comments from then-Gov. George W. Bush illustrate a man walking a political tightrope, trying to appease the religious right without alienating secular voters. The phone conversations were recorded between 1998 and 2000 by Doug Wead, a former advisor to Bush?s father who continued to be a sounding-board to the younger politician. Bush was courted by prominent right-wing Christians, among them Rev. James Robison, an evangelical Texas minister, who wanted Bush to attack gays. ?Look, James,? the New York Times quotes Bush recalling his response to Robison. ?I?m not going to kick gays, because I?m a sinner. How can I differentiate sin?? In a report he read aloud from an aide who went to a Christian Coalition convention, Bush noted, ?This crowd uses gays as the enemy. It?s hard to distinguish between fear of the homosexual political agenda and fear of homosexuality, however.? Bush?s comments then present a marked difference from his position now. ?This is an issue I have been trying to downplay,? he noted. ?I think it is bad for Republicans to be kicking gays.? However, even seven years ago, Bush opposed same-sex marriage and what he called ?special rights.? He denied, however, saying that he would not hire gays, insisting that what he said is that he would not fire someone for being gay.
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