Senator John McCain was a profile in courage today for
stopping the Senate from mandating that the U.S. military sanction
and legitimize open homosexuality within the ranks.
It’s important to say this because Sen. McCain is about to
be skewered by the elite media and popular culture for what, in
their mind, is his inexplicable opposition to repealing “Don’t Ask,
Don’t Tell.” After all, say the political and cultural elite, who
other than some demagogic and homophobic bigot has a problem with
lesbians and homosexuals serving in the U.S. military?
Of course, that’s not the issue. That’s never
been the issue. Indeed, as I’ve reported
here at The American
Spectator, no one in the U.S. military really cares if
someone’s gay. That’s why gay men and women can and do serve now,
albeit without explicitly being recognized and legitimized for
their sexual inclinations.
What’s at issue is open homosexuality and the
power of the state to force recognition and acceptance of the
same.
Simply put, sexual dynamics can and do shape human
behavior and often in deeply disquieting and unpredictable ways. In
the civilian world, this may not matter much; but in combat, where
life and death are at play, this can matter profoundly.
As someone imprisoned in the infamous Hanoi Hilton for
more than five years, much of it spent in solitary confinement,
Sen. McCain understands this better than most. And so today, he
acted out of principle to keep faith with combat veterans, new and
old, the vast majority of whom oppose introducing open
homosexuality within the ranks.
That’s why, incidentally, Democratic Sen. James Webb, also
voted to maintain the current policy. Webb, of course, is one of
America’s most highly decorated combat veterans. Thus, like Sen.
McCain, he, too, understands the unique exigencies of combat and
military necessity.
Unfortunately, like a bad nightmare that won’t go away,
this issue won’t die with today’s Senate vote. The proponents of
repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” have convinced themselves that
they are on the side of the angels; and that it is only a matter of
time before lesbians and homosexuals serve openly.
They may be right, especially since the conservative
movement increasingly has thrown up the white flag of surrender on
key cultural issues, especially ones involving homosexuality. But
just as the institution of marriage is worth fighting for, even if,
ultimately, we lose and marriage is redefined into nothingness; so,
too, is the U.S. military worth safeguarding and protecting from
radical assault.
Where to, then, from here?
Well, there are two political battles going on. One is
obvious; the other is mostly hidden from public view.
The obvious political battle involves the Congress. The
House of Representative already has voted to mandate open
homosexuality within the ranks; and the Senate came within a few
votes today of doing the same.
The liberal Democrat leadership in the Congress is
desperate to ram through a repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,”
because it fears big Republican gains in November. And, if that
happens, the prospects for mandating open homosexuality within the
ranks may recede altogether.
But not necessarily — not if conservatives continue to be
highly inarticulate and feeble-minded on this issue. Indeed, if
conservatives continue to allow the Left to frame this issue as one
of “equal rights,” then we will lose — and deservedly
so.
The issue is not one of equal rights; it is one of special
rights: because lesbians and homosexuals can and do serve now in
the U.S. military. What’s at risk are the rights of soldiers and
their families who object to homosexuality and who do not wish to
be forced to legitimize and accept homosexuality.
The second political battle going on, which most people
don’t fully appreciate, is the battle between and amongst the
military services, and between and amongst the military branches or
occupational specialties.
Because the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral
Mike Mullen, has come out in favor of open homosexuality within the
ranks, most people have assumed that the military’s longstanding
opposition to the same is now passé and dated. But this is simply
not true.
In fact, Admiral Mullen is the anomaly. Every other
military service chief — the Commandant of the Marine Corps, the
Army Chief of Staff, Air Force Chief of Staff, and Chief of Naval
Operations — has opposed repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t
Tell.”
Moreover, the more combat-oriented a military service
member, the more likely he is to oppose open homosexuality within
the ranks. Thus, the greatest opposition to a change in policy
comes from Marine infantrymen, which is to say most of the Marine
Corps.
Problem is the military is a hierarchical organization
which all too often inhibits free thought and intellectual inquiry.
Consequently, the military service chiefs and other military
personnel are reluctant to voice their true feelings about this
issue because they fear professional retribution. They also fear
being viewed as “insubordinate” and “bigoted.” Then, too, there is
the (misplaced) concern about running afoul of civilian control of
the military.
But make no mistake: most U.S. military personnel — and
certainly most combat soldiers and infantrymen — are of the mind
that the current “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy has worked out
quite well. This policy has allowed lesbians and homosexuals to
serve their country, but without requiring official acceptance and
legitimization of their lifestyle choices.
Sadly, our fighting men and women are being cowed and
intimidated into silence by the political elite. But it is our
fighting men and women who are right; and Senator McCain knows and
understands them. He is, in fact, one of them. And today, he stood
by them in a display of loyalty and political courage that is all
too often absent in the United States Congress.
God bless you, Senator, and Semper Fi.
