Cranky McCain Chastises Mullen And Gates For Expressing Opinion On DADT Before Consulting Him

[ProSense]

Cranky McCain Chastises Mullen And Gates For Expressing Opinion On DADT Before Consulting Him

During today’s Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on repealing the military’s ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) criticized Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mike Mullen for supporting the repeal of DADT without first conducting an exhaustive review of the policy or consulting with Congress.

“And so your statement is one that is clearly biased, without the view of Congress being taken into consideration,” McCain said. “I’m happy to say we still have a Congress of the United States that would have to pass a law to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’, despite your efforts to repeal it in many respects by fiat”:

I’m deeply disappointed in your statement…Your statement is ‘question before us is not whether the military prepares to make this change, but how we best prepare for it.’ It would be far more appropriate, I say with great respect, to determine whether repealing this law is appropriate and what effects it would have on the readiness and effectiveness of the military before deciding on whether we should repeal the law or not and fortunately it is an act of Congress and it requires the agreement of Congress in order to repeal it.

Watch it:

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McCain’s harsh dismissal of Gates and Mullen contradicts his previous commitment to consider repealing the policy at their request. In October of 2006, for instance, McCain explained that he understood the arguments against repealing DADT, but promised that “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.”

Mullen admitted that the military had not conduced a review of the policy but also said that he hasn’t been any research showing that openly gay members undercut military moral. Instead, Mullen pointed to studies that concluded that ending the policy would not hurt military preparedness and cited personal conversations with nations that have fully integrated their forces. “I have talk talked to several of my counterparts in countries whose militaries allow gays and lesbians to serve openly, and there has been as they have told me, no impact on military effectiveness,” Mullen said. “I have served with homosexuals since 1968,” he added. “Everyone in the military has.”

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[babylonsister]

1. Can you say flip-flop to save his political hide? And who the hell

does he think he is? Why should he be consulted about anything when he changes his mind on a dime, thus enforcing the fact that he has no morals or scruples, but does only what is politically convenient to him.

What a blowhard and a phony.

[Tempest]

3. McCain is going to get his ass handed to him

If he doesn't lose in the GOP primary, he'll lose in the general election.

His approval rating is only 40%, his lowest since the Keating Five scandal.

http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2010/01/mccain_approval_ratings_in_the.php

[leftofcool]

2. Blow it out your ass, McCain

If we need you, we'll pull your chain

[Jennicut]

4. Is he somehow co-President now? I thought he lost in 2008.

[ProSense]

5. "Before Consulting Him" Will the media call him out for being "arrogant"? n/t

[BR_Parkway]

6. Nah, he's too pale skinned for that

[karynnj]

7. In fairness, he did say consult Congress - However it is completely normal

for a President to propose an action and to then speak to Congress. Where McCain is clearly hypocritical is that I bet he must have said daily in 2008 things like "I will ask Congress to ....." which is what Obama has done here.

[ProSense]

8. Yeah, but he's talking about the Gates and Mullen, as if they need to run their opinions

by him before expressing them.

[Cha]

14. And, while the "media" is at it..

they can call themselves out on being ignorant arrogant assholes.

[JaneQPublic]

9. And yet he blasted Obama for not obeying Gen. McChrystal's every word...

...when the General was giving his recommendation on troop levels in Afghanistan.

So what happened to McCain's rule that politicians should always follow the recommendations of military brass?

[Number23]

10. EXCELLENT point.

[hileeopnyn8d]

11. Maybe Gates and Mullen

figured the umpteen DADT repeal bills in Congress with their umpteen co-sponsors along with the President calling for a repeal was enough of a consideration.

I am so glad this man is not our President.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

12. So, McCain is now the "Grand Poohbah" of Congress now?

He's not even part of the GnOP leadership. The corporate media whores have clearly inflated his ego to the point where he REALLY believes that he is (still) a person of some importance and that people actually care enough about him to think that they have consult with him, a member of the MINORITY party in Congress no less, before making policy recommendations.
:wtf:

Oh, and whatever happened to the demands that members of the GnOP made when Bush was POTUS and since Obama has been POTUS (when it suited them politically, of course) that we listen to the "commanders in the field" before making policy changes. More Repub hypocrisy. Man, they never even try to be intellectually honest about anything, do they? (rhetorical question)

:banghead:

[MindandSoul]

13. Who does McCain think he is, anyway?

He lost the election, he will NEVER be considered again by his party as a worthy candidate for the Presidency, and he has flip-flopped more often than he has changed his clothes!

By the way. . .I bet his wife if happy to see that the end of DADT is close! Apparently, she is more fair and smarter than he is!

[Politicub]

15. They likely did tell him, but he forgot

Stupid, senile old douche...

(on edit, added more descriptive language)