McCain supports “Don’t ask, don’t tell”

And accuses gays of putting their own interest above the national interest because they want to serve. Feh.

RBC is starting a new regular feature: quick exposes of John McCain’s claim to be a “moderate.”

Today’s topic: gays in the military.

I believe polarization of personnel and breakdown of unit effectiveness is too high a price to pay for well-intentioned but misguided efforts to elevate the interests of a minority of homosexual service members above those of their units.

Most importantly, the national security of the United States, not to mention the lives of our men and women in uniform, are put at grave risk by policies detrimental to the good order and discipline which so distinguish America’s armed services.

Those selfish, selfish homosexuals! Trying to muscle their way into the armed services at the expense of normal people. Don’t they know better than to force themselves in where they’re not wanted? What next? Jews in the Army? Negroes?

It’s bad enough that McCain supports a policy of discrimination. But to accuse the gay men and women who want to serve when we’re running out of recruits of putting their own interest above the national interest is really and truly over the top.

Update A reader points out that McCain doesn’t seem to be on record as opposing the aggressive use of “moral waivers” to allow the recruitment of men and women with criminal activity in their pasts. The policies McCain supports amount to preferring gangbangers to gays as soldiers.

Author: Mark Kleiman

Professor of Public Policy at the NYU Marron Institute for Urban Management and editor of the Journal of Drug Policy Analysis. Teaches about the methods of policy analysis about drug abuse control and crime control policy, working out the implications of two principles: that swift and certain sanctions don't have to be severe to be effective, and that well-designed threats usually don't have to be carried out. Books: Drugs and Drug Policy: What Everyone Needs to Know (with Jonathan Caulkins and Angela Hawken) When Brute Force Fails: How to Have Less Crime and Less Punishment (Princeton, 2009; named one of the "books of the year" by The Economist Against Excess: Drug Policy for Results (Basic, 1993) Marijuana: Costs of Abuse, Costs of Control (Greenwood, 1989) UCLA Homepage Curriculum Vitae Contact: Markarkleiman-at-gmail.com