Poll: Americans split on how to address military sex assaults
Most Americans see sexual assault in the U.S. military as a big issue, but they are divided on whether the problem is best addressed by military leaders or congressional intervention, according to a new Washington Post-Pew Research Center poll.
Mirroring a sharp split among lawmakers, 45 percent of the public says Congress should step in and change military law as a primary means to tackle the issue. About the same number, 44 percent, says the problem should be handled by military leaders within the chain of command.
Few people, however, have a great deal of confidence in either the Congress or military leaders to handle the situation, but Congress fares worse. Overall, twice as many Americans say they have “no confidence at all” in Congress as say the same about military brass.
On Wednesday, after an emotional debate, the Senate Armed Services Committee rejected, by a vote of 17 to 9, proposed legislation that would have stripped commanders of the legal power to oversee major criminal cases, including sex crimes. The authority would have been transferred to uniformed prosecutors under the proposal.
full: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/poll-americans-concerned-about-sex-assaults-in-military/2013/06/12/6a20b96a-d38f-11e2-bc43-c404c3269c73_story.html
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