“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Repeal Fails In The Senate

h/t Gary Bauer

Gary Bauer, American Values

Senate liberals today lost a vote to allow open homosexuals to serve in the military. Top military officials have repeatedly expressed their opposition to Congress’ meddling, and this morning Marine General James Amos, President Obama’s nominee to be the next Marine Corps Commandant, also weighed in during testimony before the Senate’s Armed Services Committee.

General Amos told the Committee, “In my personal view, the current law and associated policy have supported the unique requirements of the Marine Corps, and thus I do not recommend its repeal.” He added that Marine input from an online survey regarding Congress’ plan to allow open homosexuality in the military “has been predominantly negative.”

General Amos also told senators that changing the policy now would “serve as a distraction to Marines who are tightly focused at this point on combat operations in Afghanistan.” None of this, however, swayed Senate liberals, 54 of whom voted against the general’s advice and the predominant view of our Marines.

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McCain Digging In Over DADT

‘Ignores Testimony Before His Committee’

It’s good to see Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) standing up to principles that come from his heart.  Say what you want about him but there are some areas in life that he just will not back down on.  The repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’, is one of them and the other is probably his resistance to ‘pork barrel spending’.

Sen. McCain seemed like he was about to lose his temper during a press briefing Tuesday, that he and Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.) held after Republicans filibustered the defense appropriations bill over a measure that would have repealed the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.

McCain grew increasingly obstinate when pressed on the military’s history of actively seeking out gay troops to be dismissed under the policy.

WATCH:

Of course, the Senate Armed Services Committee — on which McCain serves as the ranking Republican — heard testimony just this past March from servicemembers who said their sexual orientation was actively investigated, including by searches of their private emails.

A transcript of McCain’s confrontation with the press appears below:

MCCAIN: We do not go out and seek. Regulations are, we do not go out and seek to find out if someone’s sexual orientation. We do not!

ADVOCATE REPORTER KERRY ELEVELD: But senator, that’s not…

MCCAIN: That is the fact! That is the fact. Now ma’am, I know the military very well, and I know what’s being done. And what is being done is that they are not seeking out people who are gay. And I don’t care what you say, I know it’s a fact.

ELEVELD: It’s not what I say.

MCCAIN: I don’t care what you say! And I don’t care what others say. I’ve seen it in action. I’ve seen it in action. I have sons in the military, I know the military very well. So they’re not telling you the truth.

ELEVELD: Senator, just to make sure…

MCCAIN: Just to make sure. We do not go out and seek out and find out….

ELEVELD: Private emails are not being searched? Private emails are not being searched?

MCCAIN: …See if someone is gay or not. We do not go out and see whether someone is gay or not.

ELEVELD: There are documented cases…

MCCAIN: They do not, they do not, they do not. You can say that they are, you can say [inaudible] it’s not true!… Yea, I’d like to see…

GEIDNER: It is the case of Mike Almy, Senators.

MCCAIN: Bring them to our office. It is not the policy, it is not the policy, it is not the policy.

GEIDNER: But it is the case that it’s happening, Senator.

MCCAIN: It is not the policy, it is not the policy, it is not the policy You can say that it is the policy, sir if you choose to. It is not the policy. I would be glad to get that to you in writing.

posted by rightthingtodo on September 21, 2010