McCain Tacks to the Right

John McCain showed his true red-state colors today. When discussing Don't Ask, Don't Tell, he's always said if a military leader said we should reconsider this shameful policy, then he would do so. But today he went back on those words. The chairman of the joint chiefs of staff in full uniform told the armed services committee, the policy was wrong and Mccain went out of his way to say--"Hold on a minute, the Congress decides these things, not you military guys. We need to study this thing for at least 25 years and then I'm not even sure it should ever change, cause you know us straight guys don't want no show-tune-singing nancy boys seeing our junk in the shower."

It was obvious why he said that (OK he didn't say exactly those words, but that was his subtext). He's facing a challenge for re-election in the Arizona Republican primary from a tea-bag type. If he appears the slightest bit moderate, they will jump on him--"He lost us the White House. His daughter just loves those gays! His wife posed for that ad in favor of gay marriage--and here we thought she was the perfect Stepford robot! He may as well be having a Cosmo at a piano bar. Damn, you cain't trust nobody these days! Brother Glenn Beck says he's more dangerous than Obama. He's brainwashed our Sister Sarah into endorsing him."

But the Joint Chiefs chairman basically said the policy was wrong and it should end. Oh and BTW, Colin Powell just said DADT should end as well. So that's two major military people on our side. More on Beck and Arianna Huffington and Roger Ailes at their set-to in a further post. It's very late.

Obama: Nobel and Gays

With regard to our president winning the Nobel Peace Prize, conservatives are acting like Kayne West at the Video Music Awards. Michael Steele, the RNC chairman is like the rapper who rudely grabbed the trophy out of Taylor Swift's hands and whined it should have gone to Benoyce. Every talking head in the media and the prez as well said West acted like a jerk and now the right-wing is doing the same thing and no one is calling them on it (except for my crew at MSNBC prime time.) Last week Obama lost his bid to bring the Olympics to Chicago and these morons were cheering that America lost. Now America wins a distinguished award from the international community and they sneer and jeer. I could not believe some of the reaction. I saw on Morning Joe (MSNBC not prime time) they were actually saying "There is no up side." (And I actually was liking Joe before this because he admired Obama for going to Copenhagen to campaign for the Olympics.)

No up side! How about the world respects our president and looks to him to bring peace unlike his lame-ass predecessor who ruined our economy and got us into an unnecessary war (I will give him a pass on Afghanistan, but Iraq was just revenge for Daddy Bush). I understand the criticism that it may appear that the award has been presented for Obama's promise of leadership and setting a tone of cooperation among nations rather than substantive results. You can certainly say that without calling the award an embarassment. I think these people (Rush, Glenn, etc.) just can't stand that the world loves--I mean loves--Obama. They thought they had him in a box when he lost the Olympics, but now he's won a victory and they can not stand it. And it's not like he campaigned for it by taking out an ad in The Hollywood Reporter: "For Your Consideration for the Nobel Peace Prize."

Let me tell you a little story. When I was in Turkey last year, I took the wrong bus and got lost. Nobody spoke English, but the bus driver told his assistant to got off with me and wait for the right bus which was going in the opposite direction. While we waited, we communicated through a few words and signs. "Where you from?" he asked. I answered "America, New York." "Oh, Obama," he smiled and gave me the thumbs up sign. This little anecdote may not mean much, but to me it indicates that countries that mistrusted before as a big bully superpower, now see us as a friend. Maybe awarding the President the Nobel Peace Prize is trifle premature, but there is definitely an up side: the world trusts us again.

The next night, Obama addressed the Human Right Campaign. Many of my fellow gays are pissed he's only given us lip service and very little action. While I am impatient too, I don't know all the stuff going on behind the scenes with the military in order to get "Don't Ask Don't Tell" repealed and I know it's going to be a long uphill battle before the Defense of Marriage Act joins the Dred Scott decision on the ash-heap of history. At least this president has publicly said "There is nothing wrong with being gay, I believe gay people should be treated equally and same-sex couples and families are just as good as straight ones. Get over yourselves, homophobes! Your attitudes are a part of the past and we are moving into the future" or words to that effect. That's more than any other prez has done, and I'm grateful for that much.