The hermaphrodites are coming; the hermaphodites are coming

Freedom of speech is a great thing.

Just listen to Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter explain his enlighted opposition to ending discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the military.

Rep. Hunter: The military is not civilian life. And I think the folks that have been in the military that have been in these very close situations with each other. There has to be a special bond there, and I think that that bond is broken if you open up the military to transgenders, to hermaphrodites, to gays and lesbians.

Interviewer: Transgenders and hermaphrodites?

Rep. Hunter: Yeah, that's, that's going to be part of this whole thing if.. It's not just gays and lesbians, it's a whole gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual community. If you are going to let anybody in no matter what preference, what sexual preference they have, that means that the military is going to probably let everybody in. It's going to be like civilian life, and I think that would be detrimental for the military.

As the interview goes on, Rep. Hunter digs himself in deeper and deeper.

With this interview, Rep. Hunter becomes the best spokesman that opponents of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy have.

The former best spokesman, though, is still pretty good.

Intolerance isn't mavericky

When Sen. John McCain was asked in 2007 about gays serving openly in the miltary, he said,

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.