Military chiefs split with Mullen on gays--Deal rushes repeal of ban (Mullen flipped)

The Washington Times ^ | June 1, 2010 | Rowan Scarborough

[jazusamo]

It seems Chairman Mullen has no backbone, he flipped on waiting for the results of the impact study. It looks like he flipped due to pressure from Gates and Obama and it doesn't speak well for a man of integrity.

[Williams]

There is no reason a person needs to be “openly gay” in the military. This whole emphasis on a political agenda involving some people’s sex habits is absurd and dangerous to our defense.

[hinckley buzzard]

You don't get to be Chair of the Joint Chiefs unless you are a politician first and last. Consider Colin Powell for example.

[Eyes Unclouded]

This is an excellent thing to have happen in the middle of two wars.

[jazusamo]

Yep, all too familiar with Powell and didn’t think we’d have another like him this soon.

[Nachum]

The list, ping

[OldDeckHand]

"It seems Chairman Mullen has no backbone, he flipped on waiting for the results of the impact study."

You presume that this wasn't Mullen's intention all along. I don't. Mullen is a typical California progressive. Bush made a HUGE mistake elevating him to CJCS. Bush thought in his weakened state, he couldn't get Pace reconfirmed, so he went with Mullen. Of course, given what Laura Bush has said recently, it's also possible that Bush was more closely aligned with Mullen, rather than Pace.

[HiTech RedNeck]

This is just begging for internal sexual harassment.

[HiTech RedNeck]

The little fiddle is a-play over the uncommon situation of losing specialists of whom there is a critical shortage.

[OldDeckHand]

"There is no reason a person needs to be “openly gay” in the military. This whole emphasis on a political agenda involving some people’s sex habits is absurd and dangerous to our defense."

The question that was NEVER asked during the Senate hearings, was on the subject of cross-dressers & transvestites (or whatever they're calling themselves today).

What happens when the ship's Captain wants to step out in a cocktail dress and pumps? The possibilities are endless and NONE of them are good. This is going to be discipline and moral mess of EPIC proportions.

[Truth29]

No backbone or 30 pieces of silver for his future.

[jazusamo]

You may be correct but if it was his intention it makes him a flat out liar.

[Eagles6]

Fighting 2 wars with 2 more major ones looming and this is of the utmost importance to "commander zero".

The effects on the blood supply alone should trash this crap.

[dools007]

As far as I know Mullen has never demonstrated he even knows what integtity is. That said, The Joint Chiefs haven’t shown much either. I find it instructive that not one of them that I know of have objected to Onada-imposed ROE. But they raise their backs at the homosexual issue.

[skr]

And also the service chiefs are more directly concerned with things like readiness and personnel policies.

The chairman should be at least as concerned about readiness and major personnel policies as are the service chiefs. Social tinkering is hardly the minutiae that he shouldn't be bothered about.

[jazusamo]

The chairman should be at least as concerned about readiness and major personnel policies as are the service chiefs.

My very thought on reading that. The service chiefs should be reporting that to the chairman on at least a weekly basis and he should be darned concerned with it.

[kabar]

What’s the rush? We all know why. The November mid-terms.

[jazusamo]

Exactly and the writer points that out. The RATS know they’ll be in the minority after it.

[fatrat]

I don’t think the previous Chairman, usmc general Peter Pace, fits your mold.

[Non-Sequitur]

Asked whether he had ever witnessed such public disagreement with the four-star officers who run the military, Mr. Horner answered, "No, I have not."

Closest thing to it would probably be the Admirals revolt over the future of Naval Aviation back in the 1940's. Then several admirals including the CNO resigned rather than implement Truman Administration changes. The four service heads are in the same position now. Either they implement the administration policies on gays in the military or they resign. They don't have any other option anymore.