We got a chance to watch to DADT hearing in the Senate Armed Services Committee on C-SPAN this evening. It's striking hows much more you learn when the coverage is unmediated.
After statements by Secretary Gates and Admiral Mullen a three minute round of questions was allotted each senator. Mostly they gave initial position statements. The gist of the Gates/Mullen statements was there's never been any studies of what would happen if a change of DADT was directed by Congress; the proposed review is to find out. The Republican members present all lined up as not only not wanting not to change the law but not wanting to know anything about what would happen if they considered doing it.
Below we've noted the odious past and willful ignorance of Senator Saxbee Chambliss of Georgia; almost as striking was the peevishness of the ranking minority member, Senator McCain, who gave additional proof of the new practice of Republicans in Congress to abandon their previous positions if the President supports them:
Most striking: several senators elicited from Admiral Mullen that the US has fought side by side with UK and Canadian troops in two wars for years on years now with no effect of effectiveness. Further, that there are gay troops serving in US forces, that the position of the government is that their service is valued, but if somebody wants to mess with their careers, calling them out as gay has been a really useful cudgel. That because of DADT, efforts to evaluate the effects of change in policy will be compromised because serving members who are gay can't take part, lest they be drummed out.
Most vengeful discovery: that when service members are released for being gay, they only get half the separation pay straight service members do.
Anybody want to explain that one? Why, in the Republican cosmology, that's fair?
We thought not.
South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, a member of the committee from a state with a huge military and retired military population, did not attend.
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