John Kerry: Republicans Attack Military Leadership to Defend Ban on Gays

[ProSense]

John Kerry: Republicans Attack Military Leadership to Defend Ban on Gays

by: Senator John Kerry
Wed Feb 03, 2010

"Admiral Mullen and Secretary Gates are both political appointees. They're going to be biased. They're going to say what the administration wants them to say." -- U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter, Jr.

Stunning. That was my reaction when I listened to a freshman Republican Congressman rebut the principled position of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, and the Secretary of Defense Bob Gates, that the policy of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" needed to end and that gay members of the Armed Services should be able to serve their country without fear that just being who they are would end their service.

It was especially alarming to hear the judgment of Admiral Mullen and Secretary Gates dismissed so easily as 'biased.'

Anyone who knows Admiral Mullen or Bob Gates knows damn well that neither of them say what any Administration just wants them to say.
This is, after all, Secretary Bob Gates - a lifelong Republican who was appointed to positions of high trust and leadership by President Ronald Reagan, President George Herbert Walker Bush, and President George W Bush. This is a Defense Secretary who planned to leave government and had to be talked into continuing to serve in a Democratic Administration. He is doing his duty today out of patriotism, not political ambition or partisanship.

And this is, after all, the same Admiral Mullen who was appointed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by President George W Bush. A four star Admiral who has spent 42 years wearing the uniform of his country. He's tough. He's independent. He speaks his mind, and he speaks the truth. Indeed, at Tuesday's hearing, when Republicans members of the Senate Armed Services Committee accused him of "undue command influence" and of obeying "directives" from President Obama, Admiral Mullen responded in just the way you would expect a man of his caliber. "This is not about command influence," he said. "This is about leadership, and I take that very seriously."

But let's test what Congressman Hunter said. Does the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs just automatically sing from the same playbook as the Administration? Ironically, the last time a Democratic President tried to lift the ban on gays on the military, the Chairman of the JCS, who happened to be a Republican appointed by his Republican predecessor, broke with the President and opposed gays serving openly. His name was General Colin Powell. The Republicans back then didn't think to question the impartiality of that political appointee.

Of course, today, General Powell has changed his position and he stands with Admiral Mullen and Secretary Gates.

This is not 1993. We have come a long way as a country, and we have come a long way as a military to arrive at this moment when I believe our men and women in uniform agree with the Commander in Chief and with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military is, as Admiral Mullen put it, "the right thing to do."

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Edited to add, also posted at HuffPo.

[BlueIris]

1. Nice work. nt

[Forkboy]

2. My kingdom for 50 more Kerrys.

[karynnj]

6. I assume you would even bettle for 2 at the minute from your state

[Forkboy]

8. *sigh*

yeah...we had a good run here. :(

[politicasista]

7. delete

Not necessary for sarcasm. :hi: :hide:

BTW, Good thought.

[Forkboy]

10. DK is one of my favorites.

Not a hero, not a savior, just a guy I respect in a sea of those I don't. I have my issues with him, but he's a good man who doesn't deserve half the shit he takes here (like Obama does, and like Obama there are valid criticisms of him). I voted for him in the primaries in both '04 and '08 and truly think he's right far more often than he's wrong. There's increasingly few Dems I can honestly say that about.

But Kerry does something DK doesn't do enough of...he knows how to pick his spots for maximum effectiveness. As much as I like and respect DK this is his weakest area. I think DK brings a valuable voice to our party, but Kerry just does things quietly and get things done (much in the Kennedy mold, who despite the attention he got did so many great things behind the scenes). Kerry is a prize, and someone I have great respect for, even if I do tend to agree with DK more often.

My opinion is that one can't go far wrong taking the best of each and applying it to their own lives. :)

Sorry, I replied before your edit. ;)

[politicasista]

11. No problem, it's all good. Glad to hear your thoughts

Deleted the comment cause didn't feel like it was appropriate for this thread or get the wrong idea.

Again, nice post. :hi:

[Forkboy]

12. I took it in good spirit.

The meds must be kicking in. ;)

:hi:

[politicasista]

13. Thanks

No meds, (had two asprin yesterday) just get mad sometimes when I come to DU and read, well things. :)

[Arkana]

3. Pretty sure Mullen and Gates were both BUSH appointees.

Gates is a holdover because he seems to know what he's doing.

[politicasista]

4. Kick

:kick: :patriot:

[JBoy]

5. This reminds me of the test for witches.

If you sink and drown, you weren't a witch.

If you float, you're a witch and we'll burn you at the stake.

[burning rain]

9. Republicans need to listen to the generals.

.

[JaneQPublic]

14. GOPers attacked 911 widows to defend Bush, sick people in wheelchairs to attack health care reform..

...so why should anyone be surprised that they would turn on the military to defend discrimination against gays?

It should be clear by now that Repukes' only loyalty is to the Republican Party. They'll throw anything else under the bus -- even the U.S. armed forces, widows of terrorist attacks, and anything else -- to defend and protect their political party.

[Hippo_Tron]

15. Bill Clinton must be shocked to learn that military leaders always speak for the President

After all he had not one but two Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs (one of which he appointed) oppose him on allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military.

It's hard to believe that somebody who served in the military could be so fucking ignorant of how it works. The military does not speak for the President on political matters, period. Admiral Mullen is giving his independent opinion on this issue.