DOWNLOADS: (833)

PLAYS: (1037)

Embed

Of course, by the time Election Day 2008 rolled around, most of us were well acquainted with just how "mavericky" a Republican John McCain really was: If there was an issue he could show his "independence" on, he'd leap at it; but the end result was always to toe the right-wing line.

So McCain has had it on display this week in his assaults on the Obama administration for working to overturn the military's odious "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy for gays and lesbians in the military.

First, it may be helpful to recall John McCain on the campaign trail in 2006:

And I understand the opposition to it, and I‘ve had these debates and discussions, but 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.

Then watch him last night on Greta Van Susteren's Fox show:

McCain: I respect the views of Admiral Mullen, who said it was his individual opinion, but we have not heard from the rest of the military leadership. And I'd be very interested in hearing from our military on this issue.

... I have always said that I believe 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' is working, and I believe it is.

Yup, that's John McCain, Professional Calvinball Player. How swiftly those goalposts move!

DOWNLOADS: (2689)

PLAYS: (2779)

Embed

On ABC's THIS WEEK, Admiral Mullen reiterated President Obama's call to close Guantanamo Bay to be closed.

The concern I've had about Guantanamo in these wars is it has been a symbol, and one which has been a recruiting symbol for those extremists and jihadists who would fight us. So and I think that centers -- you know, that's the heart of the concern for Guantanamo's continued existence, in which I spoke to a few years ago, the need to close it," Mullen said.

Didn't the Bush administration and all their flunkies, including Newt Gingrich, say that you can never go against the military or you hate the troops?

REP. GINGRICH: Let me say, first of all, there were over 550,000 troops who served in Iraq. I'm sure you can find one to agree with you.

OK, I guess Newt only likes troops who agree with his positions, and I guess Admiral Mullen is one of those troops too. Well Newt, are you now putting all your hate on the members of our armed forces who want to close Gitmo?

DOWNLOADS: (2689)

PLAYS: (2779)

Embed

On ABC's THIS WEEK, Admiral Mullen reiterated President Obama's call that Guantanamo Bay should be closed.

The concern I've had about Guantanamo in these wars is it has been a symbol, and one which has been a recruiting symbol for those extremists and jihadists who would fight us. So I think that centers -- you know, that's the heart of the concern for Guantanamo's continued existence, in which I spoke to a few years ago, the need to close it," Mullen said.

Didn't the Bush administration and all their flunkies including Newt Gingrich say that you can never go against the military or you hate the troops?

REP. GINGRICH: Let me say, first of all, there were over 550,000 troops who served in Iraq. I'm sure you can find one to agree with you.

OK, I guess Newt only like troops that agree with his positions and I guess Admiral Mullen is one of those troops too. Well Newt, are you putting all your hate on the military now who want to close Gitmo?

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Admiral Mike Mullen, appeared on FOX today and delivered a message that's sure to upset Bill Kristol and the rest of the neocon armchair generals.

Download | play Download | play (h/t Dan)

WALLACE: I want to ask you two questions about Iran. How do you weigh as a military man, as the top military man, the downside risk if either the U.S. or Israel were to militarily strike Iran in terms of blowback from Iran and its allies in the region, increased turmoil in that area, increased turmoil in the oil market?

MULLEN: I think it would be significant. I worry about it a lot. I've said when I've been asked this before right now I'm fighting two wars, and I don't need a third one. [...]

But I worry about the instability in that part of the world and, in fact, the possible unintended consequences of a strike like that and, in fact, having an impact throughout the region that would be difficult to both predict exactly what it would be and then the actions that we would have to take to contain it.

Admiral Mullen's testimony before Congress about repealing the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy was one of the most honest, profound moments I can recall seeing in a hearing. He said this:

"We have in place a policy that forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens," Mullen said. "For me, personally, it comes down to integrity: Theirs as an individual, ours as an institution."

His point, of course, was to stress the damage done to anyone who is consistently forced to live a lie. Apparently, it took a toll on Rep. Mark Kirk, the GOP candidate for President Obama's Senate seat.

Mike Rogers, a blogger known for outing gay politicians, writes this:

In an effort to move the base in the Illinois Senate race, Kirk decided to tack right and that means throwing the gays (like him) under the bus. And once he voted that way, the phone began to ring. Not one or two, or three but 5 separate individuals contacted me about the now divorced Mr. Kirk. (Mr. and Mrs. Kirk were married from 2001 to 2009, the marriage produced no children.)

Rogers is known for being pretty accurate about the politicians he outs. He backs up his claim with this:

"In law school in DC everyone knew Mark was gay," the first source told me. I explained that the information was intriguing, it would not be enough to go on. He continued, "But I had sex with him a number of times." Well, now we're onto something I thought. "Could someone verify for me that you knew Kirk and went to school with him?" I asked. "Yes" was the swift reply. "Could you recall personal details about Kirk that others may not know?" "Yes," he said.

And he did.

The next source claimed to have gone to undergraduate school with Kirk. I asked for proof that he and Kirk were in school together and once that was shared with me, I met with the source. The source introduced me to a man who had also been friends with Kirk in college. They both shared with me their interactions with Kirk, including one sexual in nature. The source who claimed to have sex with Kirk described personal details about the House, um, er, "member." The description was the same as the first source.

And in DC, Kirk wasn't all THAT closeted. You see Mark Kirk told me he was gay. Before I had BlogActive, I had a life in Washington. As a fundraiser I raised major gifts from $5,000 to over $1,000,000... You don't do that kind of work at a keyboard, you do it at events attended by people with money. The movers and shakers and their friends.

This follows Kirk having to apologize for misstating his military service in an ad. (Where's the New York Times when you need 'em?)

In a country where liberty is such a high value (particularly to conservatives!), Mark Kirk should be able to be conservative and gay, and not held to a standard of hypocrisy in order to run for office as a Republican, but this is what happens when politics gets in bed with religion. When Republicans decided they were going to be arbiters of morality, they forced patriotic members of our Armed Services to lie and invited Mark Kirk to sacrifice integrity for ambition.

Admiral Mullen was right, and it looks like Rep. Kirk needs to do some digging to decide whether he wants liberty or the mask of forced hypocrisy. Either way, his integrity is shot.