Before being against the Repeal of DADT, Senator John "I picked Sarah Palin because I was misled" McCain was supporting the Repeal of DADT. First, he said, during the 2008 campaign, that he would listen to the Top military leaders before making his mind, then when the military leaders brought their support to the repeal of DADT, McCain found another reason to oppse it.
Now in his new crusade to oppose everything President Obama is for, John McCain has chosen the signatories of a letter signed by "over a thousand retired and flag general officers," among other folks. According to McCain, in a letter, thousand officers brought their support to the DADT Policy.
I guess McCain thought that no one would notice some "bizarre" facts linked to this letter. In fact, as reported by ThinkProgress' Amanda Terkel, McCain is now a ghost whisperer. Maybe he was Misled once again. Here some problems, identified by Amanda Terkel, with the letter in question:
– The average age of the officers is 74. The "oldest living signer is 98, and several signers died in the time since the document was published." Servicemembers United Executive Director Alex Nicholson added that only "a small fraction of these officers have even served in the military during the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ period, much less in the 21st century military," so it’s hard to believe that they "know how accepting and tolerant 18- and 21-year-olds are today."
– "At least one signer, Gen. Louis Menetrey, was deceased when the letter was published and didn’t sign the document himself. According to a footnote on the letter, his wife signed the document for him after his death using power of attorney — six years after Alzheimer’s disease robbed him of the ability to communicate."
– One signatory said that they "no longer want to be a part of the letter, writing to the organization, ‘I do not wish to be on any list regarding this issue.‘"
– Multiple generals said they "never agreed" to sign the letter in the first place, writing "I never agreed. To represent either side of this issue" and "I do not remember being asked about this issue."
– At least seven officers "were involved in scandals tarnishing their careers." Gen. Carl Mundy, for instance, gained negative publicity when he told CBS’s 60 Minutes that "minority officers do not shoot as well as the non-minorities."
DC Agenda has a great cover of the story