McCain Circulates Service Chiefs Letter Urging Congress to Hold Off on DADT Repeal Vote, While Mullen Stresses 'Moral Courage'/Top officer talks chang

McCain Circulates Service Chiefs Letter Urging Congress to Hold Off on DADT Repeal Vote, While Mullen Stresses 'Moral Courage'
Copyright by Towleroad
June 1, 2010
http://www.towleroad.com/2010/05/mullen.html



Joint Chiefs Chair Mike Mullen made a veiled reference to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in a speech to graduating Air Force cadets. At least that's how the AP is interpreting it.

Said Mullen:
"Few things are more important to an organization than people who have the moral courage to question the direction in which the organization is going — and then the strength of character to support whatever final decisions are made."

Mccain Meanwhile, several of the Service Chiefs have issued a letter to Congress today, distributed by Senator John McCain (R-AZ), The Hill reports:

...the chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines urged Congress to hold off voting until the study is done.

“I believe it is important, a matter of keeping faith with those currently serving in the Armed Forces, that the Secretary of Defense commissioned review be completed before there is any legislation to repeal the DA/DT law," wrote Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, Chief of Staff of the Air Force.

That position was echoed in separate letters from Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey, Navy Chief of Staff Adm. Gary Roughead, and Commandant of the Marine Corps. Gen. James T. Conway.

“I also believe that repealing the law before the completion of the review will be seen by the men and women of the Army as a reversal of our commitment to hear their views before moving forward," Casey wrote.

And now seems like a good time to recall Mullen's powerful statement against the military gay ban at "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" hearings in February.


Top officer talks change as gay ban vote nears
By KRISTEN WYATT (AP) – 5 days ago
Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gO1CkBTvEmlL-47kgdQgkIHd6sFAD9FUMSR00


AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. — The nation's top uniformed military officer told graduating Air Force Academy cadets they need to support a changing military as Congress nears a vote on repealing the military's ban on openly gay servicemembers.

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, talked to 1,001 graduating cadets at the academy on Wednesday.

The Senate Armed Services Committee plans to vote Thursday on overturning the ban.

Mullen didn't speak directly about the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that appears to be nearing an end. But he spoke broadly about change in the military.

"Few things are more important to an organization than people who have the moral courage to question the direction in which the organization is going — and then the strength of character to support whatever final decisions are made," Mullen said.

The White House has said Mullen is on board with the repeal of the ban.

Later in the day, Mullen was headed to nearby Peterson Air Force Base outside Colorado Springs to take questions from servicemembers.

The bill in Congress would overturn the "don't ask, don't tell" policy but still allow the military to decide when and how to implement any changes to accommodate the new policy.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said he agrees that the ban should be lifted, but he wants time to complete a wide-ranging study on how to do so without causing turmoil.

Mullen stressed loyalty to the new 2nd lieutenants who graduated from the Air Force Academy. But he said it "must never be blind."

Mullen also praised young people for continuing to choose military careers despite ongoing wars.

"We have been a nation at war for nearly half your young lives," Mullen noted.

He urged the new officers to be open to working with foreign military officers to achieve common goals and said he recently "sat cross-legged ... with tribal leaders in Afghanistan."

"Respect cannot be gained in a PowerPoint slide," Mullen said.




John McCain: Filibuster to Stop ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Repeal?
by Eve Conant
May 27, 2010
Copyright by Newsweek
http://www.newsweek.com/blogs/the-gaggle/2010/05/27/john-mccain-filibuster-to-stop-don-t-ask-don-t-tell-repeal-.html

Gay-rights advocates are not yet celebrating what—by all indications—appears to be imminent action on the Hill to move toward a repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell.”

Why? Because some lawmakers are threatening to support a filibuster of the defense authorization bill (where the repeal language may be added) when it comes up for a vote, expected to take place late June or early July.
Some gay advocates—on background, and on the Web—are reporting that McCain has asked for the vote to be held in open session. Roll Call’s Kathleen Hunter reports that McCain said he would “without a doubt” support a filibuster if the bill goes to the floor with repeal language. “ ‘I’ll do everything in my power,’ the Arizona Republican said, citing letters from the four service chiefs urging Congress not to act before a Pentagon review of the policy is complete. ‘I’m going to do everything I can to support the men and women of the military and to fight what is clearly a political agenda.’ ” (McCain, however, appears to have stopped short of saying he would call for a filibuster, only that he would support one). Hunter reported that Republican Sen. Roger Wicker also said he would support a filibuster.

McCain is facing a fierce reelection fight in Arizona against Tea Party favorite opponent J. D. Hayworth, who has accused him in ads of being “a conservative actor” who only pretends to support conservative causes.

McCain has said in the past that he would support a repeal if military leaders first endorsed the change, and in February Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Adm. Mike Mullen told senators they supported President Obama’s pledge to seek a congressional repeal of the 1993 policy. Yet McCain said he was “disappointed” in the testimony and an aide said it represented only personal opinion. (McCain’s family has also expressed their personal opinion on gay rights; both wife Cindy and daughter Meghan have appeared in ads to support gay-equality issues.)

On Wednesday, McCain circulated a letter on the Hill from the Joint Chiefs of Staff opposing the “don’t ask, don’t tell” compromise, and Gates has only offered a lukewarm endorsement of the repeal compromise, fuel for McCain’s argument that the military is not fully behind the congressional action.