Surging in the polls, Ross Perot has come out against gays in high office and philanderers anywhere.
He also would "absolutely" not raise taxes. But then he might if the money went for better education.The formally undeclared independent presidential candidate and Texas billionaire bounded into Washington as he stepped up his pre-campaign campaigning.
Perot laid down the "absolutely against it" line on taxes in one interview with ABC's "20/20", and then promptly crossed it on Jesse Jackson's CNN program.
"If we've got to cough up more, we cough it up, because this is very precious money," he said of spending more to improve education.
While he left the door open slightly on taxes, he slammed it shut on two groups: homosexuals and adulterers.
Perot told ABC that as president, he would not hire "adulterers" nor would he appoint homosexuals to such top jobs as secretary of the treasury, defense or education.
He also would put an end to the playing of "Hail to the Chief" fanfare at the White House.
Why no gay Cabinet members? "I don't want anybody there that will be a point of controversy with the American people. It will distract from the work to be done."
"As far as I'm concerned, what people do in their private lives is their business," and indicated he would consider homosexuals for other less sensitive jobs, although he saw no role for them in the military.
What about adulterers?
"I put a very strong store on strong moral values." He said he never knowingly hired a married person who had been unfaithful.
"For example, anybody that has Secret Service around them that feels like they can bring women in for swims and so on and so forth, if any of that ever occurred, obviously something happened to the person's mind, it's just like suddenly the switch went off.
It doesn't make sense," he added.
"The American people deserve better than that and no, I wouldn't have people like that," he said.