Newly-minted GOP Senator from Massachusetts Scott Brown has just announced that he’s voting against the DADT compromise that’s been endorsed by the Pentagon and the White House. Here’s why:
“I am keeping an open mind, but I do not support moving ahead until I am able to finish my review, the Pentagon completes its study, and we can be assured that a new policy can be implemented without jeopardizing the mission of our military,” Brown said in a statement provided to the Globe.
Uh, yeah. Except of course the legislation already addresses those concerns. The repeal won’t go into effect unless and until the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and the President all certify that the new policy won’t jeopardize the military’s mission. Specifically, the legislation says the repeal won’t go into effect until the three gentleman certify that the repeal “is consistent with the standards of military readiness, military effectiveness, unit cohesion, and recruiting and retention of the Armed Forces.” So what exactly is Scott Brown’s point? It doesn’t make sense.
Perhaps, and this is the more likely explanation, Scott Brown is afraid of ticking off the far-right Teabaggers from Alabama who put him into office in the first place. (Of course, even that doesn’t make sense, as the Teabaggers, in a recent poll, support DADT repeal to the tune of nearly 70%.)
Funny, I thought Brown wanted to represent Massachusetts.
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