Hat tip to our good friends at Fired Up.

Wedge issues trump everything for republicans.

The White House issued the following statement on yesterday’s votes in Congress in the process of repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”:

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release May 27, 2010

Statement by the President on Votes to Repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

I have long advocated that we repeal ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’, and I am pleased that both the House of Representatives and the Senate Armed Services Committee took important bipartisan steps toward repeal tonight.  Key to successful repeal will be the ongoing Defense Department review, and as such I am grateful that the amendments offered by Representative Patrick Murphy and Senators Joseph Lieberman and Carl Levin that passed today will ensure that the Department of Defense can complete that comprehensive review that will allow our military and their families the opportunity to inform and shape the implementation process.  Our military is made up of the best and bravest men and women in our nation, and my greatest honor is leading them as Commander-in-Chief. This legislation will help make our Armed Forces even stronger and more inclusive by allowing gay and lesbian soldiers to serve honestly and with integrity.

Incumbent Representative Jo Ann Emereson (r), facing one of the most serious and credible campaign challenges in her insider Washington congressional career, took time to “diss” challenger Tommy Sowers’ (D) military career – right before Memorial Day. All because of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”:

8th District candidates split on military’s ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy

Friday, May 28, 2010

By Rudi Keller Southeast Missourian

Democratic congressional contender Tommy Sowers, a former Army officer, on Thursday endorsed plans to repeal the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gays in the military. Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, however, said she opposes repeal and opposes allowing gays to serve openly in the armed forces….

….In addition, Emerson said her opposition is based on comments from field commanders “who have said that in very difficult situations in Afghanistan and Iraq, in combat jobs, that it is beneficial to have knowledge of that because there can be distractions. Since Sowers has never commanded anybody, he might have a different perspective….”

[emphasis added]

A video on Tommy Sowers’ service – from his campaign:

Now, Jo Ann Emerson’s remark doesn’t appear to be very accurate, does it?

As for wedge issues – in 1993 I asked my father, he of twenty-two years of service, about gays in the military. He told me (paraphrased), “There always have been, there always will be. Nobody cares as long as everyone does their job.”

In his hot pursuit of Roy Blunt’s 7th district seat in the U.S. House of Reporesentatives, State Senator Gary Nodler (R-32) is running true to form for Missouri Republicans, who almost universally seem to feel the need to placate the crazies inhabiting the fantasy land to the right of the right. Nodler’s pandering, however, is a bit more amusing than most simply because, while as devoid of real benefit, it is bolder and more inventive in its rhetoric.

You may remember Nodler for his recent effort to garner the good will of Tea Party tenthers by sponsoring a “sovereignty bill” (Senate Bill 587) that would establish a “state-level Tenth Amendment Commission that would determine if the federal government is overreaching its bounds in powers reserved for the states under the Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.”

Most recently he has garnered attention by claiming that repealing Don’t Ask, Dont Tell (DADT), would create a “hostile workplace” for soldiers. Perhaps he would like to segregate male and female office workers here in Missouri? Plenty of potential there for a hostile workplace, eh?

But that’s not all – Nodler’s also worried that openly gay soldiers “could represent a ‘cultural affront'” to terrorists intent on killing American troops.”

There is, fortunately for those of us who like political slap-stick, a second act to Nodler’s performance. After his assertions abut DTDA were ridiculed by Igor Volsky at the Wonk Room, the ever-oblivious Mr. Nodler responded with this little exercise in self-righteousness:

I never said that this would be a cultural affront to terrorists. I don’t care what they think. I said it would be a cultuaral [sic] affront to the Muslims in who’s [sic] country we are operating. We can not win the hearts and minds of the people by insulting them and ignoring the standards of their culture. This is about the people who live there and the armies we are serving with. Your comment makes the common mistake that all Muslims are terrorists.

Well, to quote Steve Martin, Excuuuuuuse me! Who would have thought that Nodler was so culturally sensitive?  Is he really proposing that we shouldn’t stand up for what is right in our national institutions because folks elsewhere might be offended? He’ll be demanding that our female soldiers in Afghanistan don a burka next so as not to offend the Taliban. Of course, he’s also ignoring the fact that occupying Muslim countries on the basis of trumped-up accusations may have done more to offend hitherto non-militant Muslims than any of our social practices.

Oops! Update:  I wrote too soon – via Fired Up! Missouri, Nodler doesn’t think military women in Afghanistan should don burkas, he thinks they shouldn’t be in the military at all. The more this guy digs in … the deeper the hole – promises lots of fun.

The Senate Armed Services Committe held a hearing today on “don’t ask, don’t tell” – the policy concerning the service of gays and lesbians in the United States military (Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill asked a few questions at 267 minutes into the hearing):

….Senator Claire McCaskill: Thank you Mister Chairman. Uh, I just want to make sure that we’re crystal clear about a couple of things here. First, are gay and lesbian Americans currently serving in our military?

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen: Yes.

Senator McCaskill: And in fact, isn’t the foundation of the current policy that we welcome their service?

Admiral Mullen: Yes.

Senator McCaskill: Are you aware of any morale issues or discipline, disciplinary problems surrounding the current service of gay and lesbian mem, members, Americans as members of our military?

Admiral Mullen: Certainly not broadly.

Senator McCaskill: Now, here’s my, I, I think what you’re, uh, embarking upon is important. I, I think it is welcome, but here’s my problem, we now have established that we have gay and lesbian Americans serving in the military, that they are not broadly causing any kind of disciplinary or morale problems, that we welcome their service, so the issue isn’t whether or not gay and lesbian Americans are serving in the military, it’s whether or not we talk about it. So, how are you going to get their input in this survey?

[sound of applause in background]

Admiral Mullen: Oh I, actually, I mean, my take on that is, um, well, hang on a second. Um. I think that, that we would have to, uh, look very carefully at, at how we would do that. [crosstalk]

Senator McCaskill: And that’s the point I [crosstalk] would like to leave you with today is that, um, unfortunately because of this policy, we welcome their service [crosstalk]…

Admiral Mullen: Sure.

Senator McCaskill: ….They’re serving bravely and well. We don’t have [inaudible] any kind of issues with morale and cohesiveness, uh, surrounding their service, but yet when it comes time to evaluate their service, um, they’re not allowed to talk about it. And so you have a real challenge in getting perhaps, uh, maybe some of the most important input you may need as you consider this policy. And I’ll be anxiously awaiting how you figure that one out.

Admiral Mullen: Yes ma’am.

Senator McCaskill: Thank you Mister Chairman.

Senator Carl Levin: Thank you, senator [crosstalk].

Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates: Uh, one approach, senator, is to talk to those who have been separated.

Senator McCaskill: And I think that’s terrific. I think the ones who have been separated would be a great place that you can get good information, but I don’t know that you’re going to be able to get at those that are currently serving, um, because obviously they’re not gonna be able to step forward and talk about it. So, but I, I agree Secretary Gates, that’s a great place, because so many of them voluntarily separated because of issues of integrity. Thank you….

Our previous coverage of DADT and Claire McCaskill:

Senator Claire McCaskill: “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in the news (March 15, 2009)

Claire McCaskill (D): “Kitchen Table Talk” in Kansas City, part 3 (December 2008)