MichaelMoore.com

Why Is McCain Red Hot On Don't Ask, Don't Tell?

By Marc Ambinder / The Atlantic

As has been noted by virtually everyone now, John McCain in 2010 is not the John McCain of 2006. And that might be the reason for his white-hot rage at the Defense Secretary and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, both of whom endorsed an end to the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy today. Long-time McCain aides couldn't point me to a specific incident when McCain changed his mind. And he did change his mind:

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.

That's not unclear. Given today's developments, McCain should support the DADT repeal. He does not. Theory one is that he's worried that J.D. Hayworth will use it against him in the primaries. Theory two is that McCain has come to believe that Gates and Mullen undercut Stanley McChrystal and David Petraeus at key moments during the Afghanistan debate. Theory three is that McCain, who, has, in private, expressed disdain at his party's anti-gay stances, has changed his mind and now has a different view of homosexuality.