John McCain: Now Not the Time to Repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

U.S. Sen John McCain, R-Ariz., on Sunday, Sept. 26, 2010 in Phoenix.

/ Associated Press

In a Sunday appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press," Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) urged for further studies before repealing the military policy "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," arguing that "we need a thorough and complete study of the effects - not how to implement a repeal, but the effects on morale and battle effectiveness."

The Pentagon is set to produce such a study on December 1 of this year - and the Washington Post reports that two sources familiar with it said "the survey found a majority of respondents ... said the effect of lifting the gay ban would be positive, mixed or nonexistent."

McCain said he thinks the report should be subject to further scrutiny, however, and that the Senate should not lift the ban on allowing gays to serve openly in the military during Congress's lame duck session, which kicked off this week.

"Once we get this study, we need to have hearings. And we need to examine it. And we need to look at whether it's the kind of study that we wanted," he said.

Despite his current resistance to reversing the controversial policy, the former presidential candidate has in previous years shown a willingness to eliminate it: In 2006, he told students at Iowa State University that he would support repeal if military leadership said they supported doing so.

McCain appears to face opposition on the matter even within his own family: In September, daughter Meghan McCain posted a series of comments on her Twitter account clarifying her position on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which she opposes.

"I am a supporter of LGBT rights and am against DADT - I fight every day. Until you are the daughter of a republican senator - don't assume what I do and the stances I take are ever easy. I love my family and I love the gay community. There's a lot of anger being projected at me personally for my father's stance on DADT. I love my father very much and we disagree. Project your anger at politicians and the president you elected, because last time I checked - Obama isn't exactly advocating for LGBT rights or removing DADT," McCain said.

And in a recent anti-bullying ad produced by the gay advocacy group NO H8, his wife Cindy appeared to slam "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" when she lamented the fact that LGBT youth " can't serve our country openly," and that "our government treats the LGBT community like second class citizens."

But Cindy McCain later backtracked partially on the issue, tweeting "I fully support the NOH8 campaign and all it stands for and am proud to be a part of it. But I stand by my husband's stance on DADT."

Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, blasted McCain's comments to the Washington Post. "McCain is telling the Pentagon: Keep working until you produce the outcome I'm looking for," she said.

McCain's plea to hold off on repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" comes amid reports that conservative leaders are calling for Republican lawmakers to leave social issues off of the political agenda in order to make shrinking the government their primary congressional goal.

"On behalf of limited-government conservatives everywhere, we write to urge you and your colleagues in Washington to put forward a legislative agenda in the next Congress that reflects the principles of the Tea Party movement," wrote signatories of a letter to presumptive House Speaker John Boehner, among whom included members of the group GOProud, as well as leaders from the Tea Party Patriots and the New American Patriots. "This election was not a mandate for the Republican Party, nor was it a mandate to act on any social issue," they urged.

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Lucy Madison is a political reporter for CBSNews.com. You can read more of her posts here. Follow Hotsheet on Facebook and Twitter.

[keybrdman]

With all due respect to Sentator McCain and his service to our country during the Vietnam war; I disagree with his opinion on this issue. As I understand his service, he was a Navy aviator, who was shot down and spent many years in the infamous "Hanoi Hilton". That being said, he never saw action on the ground - that which most Army and
Marines experienced. I was a medic with the 101st Airborne. I am not gay, but I knew of several medics who admitted privately to being gay, but that certainly didn't impact their performance under fire or their relationship with those with whom they served. When an individual is hit under fire, the last thing he cares about is the sexual orientation of the the guy who is saving his a$$. I respectfully submit that anyone who has not served or whose service did not put them in harms way; really have nothing to add to this issue - their input would only be based on hearsay or their own personal views.

[christoph415]

If it were any other issues, McCain would say that "the Pentagon needs to make the decision and not politicians." I thought the GOP's top priority was to get the government out of the people's business!

[_Liann_]

McCain is a gay-baiter, verbal gay-basher, who can't face the facts that likely there were gay POWs at the Hanoi Hilton along with McCain, and surely were gays in his squadron.

McCain is a gay-bashing hater who needs to be labeled as such. He is TRYING to keep gays as inferior citizens.

The CONSTITUTION REQUIRES EVERY CITIZEN to join in the defense of the Republic. No citizen is exempted, no class is exempted. Gay taxes pay military salaries, pay military benefits. McCain is a leech on gay taxpayers, who pay his Senate salary.

[tsigili]

We don't need a study, Senator, we need basic human rights for all of our citizens.

[talkwjon]

Well you give a solider a gun a tell him to kill someone. Just tell him that there are gay people that he has to work with. They are soldiers they take orders. deal with it. next order of business. seems like a whole lot of nothing. How are we allowing all these other countries to lead us in equality I thought we were the land of the free.

[allmenarequal]

I am pretty sure CBS would show it if ANY political family had major disagreements like that, for instance if Obama's wife took a an anti-dadt repeal stance saying that dadt needs to stay... or wait that would only count if Obama actually seemed to want appeal, but I think you get the idea

anyway Repeal is the job of the courts not the congress, and no it will not harm our military for them to declare it unconstitutional. Even at so they can declare it wrong for them to investigate and tell them they need to properly integrate gay troops by the end of the year.

Courts Job = Protect Rights , not Congress.

[smitvict]

He just could not possibly deal with repeal of DADT. That is, since he is still struggling with the integration of the military in the 50's.

[kenfromcranston]

Typical liberal media hatchet job. When does the media ever discuss the opinion of a Democrat's family? It's immaterial and just a smoke screen to the liberal agenda. Senator McCain's family doesn't get to vote in the senate. Let's poll all the democrats and see what their families say. I'm sure we'll find a set of opinions that are across the spectrum. Or to say it a different way - would CBS news include Senator McCain's family's comments if they agreed with him?

[catmomtx]

Oh for goodness sakes! Senator McCain went on Meet the Press and voiced his opinions which I might add are different from the initial opinions he held. Cindy McCain tweeted or whatever. The press reported what they had to say. Are you saying that the press shouldn't address this? I'm sure if a Democrat and their family had come out and said something, the media would have addressed that too. But guess what? A democrat and their family have not spoken out about it, John and Cindy McCain did. So what exactly are you whining about?

[forsanity1]

ken, read the replies to your silly post. (note: I don't really think Cindy McCain is all about the "liberal agenda", unless of course you understand that truth and equality does in deed have a liberal bias!)