The day that the leadership of the military comes to me and says, 'Senator, we ought to change the policy,' then I think we ought to consider seriously changing it because those leaders in the military are the ones we give the responsibility to. (see full transcript)Fast forward to February 2010. The Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, who were both originally appointed by the last Republican President testify before Congress.
Adm. Mullen said
It is my personal belief that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be the right thing to do...We have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens. For me, personally, it comes down to integrity — theirs as individuals and ours as institutions.Sec. Gates stated that he "fully support(s)" the President's policy of ending sexual discrimination in the military.
Sen. McCain's response is that he is "deeply disappointed" in their testimony.
Sen. McCain's political cowardice and prejudice are what are deeply disappointing.
