The claim that gays should be barred from conservative activism is not only bigoted but is a bipartisan view. The intolerant assault comes from the far right, who object to Republicans who are gay, and the far left, who object to gays being Republicans. When the extremists on both sides are the only ones speaking up, the majority suffers.

In reality, not all GOP activists or even religious people want to be the arbiter of who gets to be a Republican. I grew up in an evangelical Christian home and attended an undergraduate evangelical Christian university. I know firsthand that many Christian conservatives and evangelicals applaud the partisan activism of gay conservatives. They recognize that individuals have different strengths and opinions. And like most Americans, they vote on a variety of issues with multidimensional and subjective priorities…

Voters need to be reminded of Mr. Obama’s foreign-policy performance: his secret whispers to then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev for more flexibility on missile defense; his snubbing of Israel and other allies while extending a hand to those who want to degrade the U.S.; his inability to lead at the United Nations. The president’s record proves he is too politically contrived and dangerously weak to deserve a second term.

As the longest-serving spokesman for the United States at the United Nations, I saw firsthand the importance of a foreign policy focused on progress, not popularity.