Here’s the bottom line – literally – in gay/military debate
The Atlantic’s Marc Ambinder (frank language warning!) looks into the info nugget that General McChrystal voted for Obama. Citing several McChyrstal staff members, he reports that the general “was a hard core operator, aggressive as hell, a JSOC ninja — but he was also a social liberal who tolerated, nay, welcomed gay people into his inner circle, who disdained Fox News, and who grew increasingly frustrated with his reputation as Dick Cheney’s hired assassin.”
Ambinder says he’s not surprised. Within the special forces community, he says, people don’t seem to care much about sexual orientation:
“As one former member of a special missions unit put it to me recently, “It’s really about competence. If you’re competent, it doesn’t matter who you are.” And then, switching instantly from an analytical posture to a machismo mode, he said, “If a guy saves my ass, he sure as hell can look at it.”
That’s the bottom line.
So to speak.
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130 comments Add your comment
popeye
June 25th, 2010
5:18 am
Scout…”From a blogger on a site I was reading:
“The Portland Oregonian is a far-left radical liberal newspaper that’s in the tank with the Democrat Party, and that’s why they killed the story (sexual accusation against Al Gore). Had this been G.W. Bush or any Republican, this same newspaper would have gone balistics with a daily “report”. It’s the same with Obama. There’s no way on the planet that this newspaper, or any Main Stream Media news organization in America, would criticize Obama for anything.”
ooh yea…..and the earth is flat, and they did put Humpty Dumpty back together again. Now go blog that somewhere because I said so.
Actually the newspaper was the Portland Tribune…Not the Oregonian, and they actually provide
a reason for their decision. Perhaps you should read it!
http://portlandtribune.com/news/index.php
I Report :-) You Whine :-( Impeach Drunken Fool obozo! Just sayin...
June 25th, 2010
5:59 am
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama declared Thursday that he and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev have “succeeded in resetting” the Cold War adversaries’ relationship, which had dipped in recent years. -Urinal
We’ve almost given them all of our weapons too!! Yay!
All is well!! And good!!
USinUK
June 25th, 2010
6:00 am
popeye – you mean like … oh … say … no EVIDENCE???? which, by the way, is why the cops didn’t arrest him and why charges were never filed???
fuhgettaboutit … these guys have the bit in their teeth and they’re gonna run with this one, evidence or not …
(although I love that the blogger Scout quotes is so brazenly WRONG about … oh … EVERYthing in his/her post … research much?)
popeye
June 25th, 2010
6:08 am
USinUK .. Exactly!
Only you are a much better wordsmith than me.
electrician
June 25th, 2010
6:39 am
USinUK..yep,the right fringe will run with it .I hope that Jay will spare us all and not bring it up.
Finn McCool
June 25th, 2010
6:42 am
Some consumer wins in the new finance reform legislation:
1)Mortgage brokers and bank employees will no longer be able to earn bonuses based on the type of loan they put you in. That will presumably eliminate any incentive to push high-interest loans on borrowers (who might otherwise qualify for a better deal) to inflate bank profits.
USinUK
June 25th, 2010
6:46 am
electrician – 6:39 – actually, I hope he does for 2 reasons:
1) if he doesn’t, all we’re going to hear for the next week is the Fool’s Chorus of “but, but, but, Jaaaaayyyyyyy … why don’t you talk about that rapist, Al Gore” (we’ve already been hearing the overture yesterday and this morning)
and
2) I would hope he would frame it with a discussion about journalism / running a story when there is no evidence to support it / convictions in the courtroom of public opinion based on rumor
Finn McCool
June 25th, 2010
6:48 am
French implosion regarding their world cup team: No wonder President Nicolas Sarkozy has called crisis ministerial meetings on the French World Cup debacle. The daily Le Monde went further, drawing parallels between this “strange defeat” and another, on the front lines of 1940.
It’s only a game?
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/25/opinion/25iht-edcohen.html?hp
USinUK
June 25th, 2010
6:50 am
electrician – actually, as I think about it – convictions in the courtroom of public opinion based on rumor would really be an interesting topic, given its long history in the Atlanta area – innocent people from Leo Frank to Richard Jewell who were crucified in the media (and, in Frank’s case, wound up with him losing his life)
Finn McCool
June 25th, 2010
6:50 am
running a story when there is no evidence to support it
but but but, USinUK, if it bleeds, it leads! Whatever sells more ed space! Whatever it takes to line Murdoch’s pockets!
Finn McCool
June 25th, 2010
6:51 am
errr, “ad space!”
USinUK
June 25th, 2010
6:58 am
Finn – 6:50 – and I have no problem with “if it bleeds it leads” when there is a shooting / bomb / car crash, etc …
it’s when there are unsubstantiated allegations that have been investigated by the police and found lacking that I think should be left on the curb …
… but, I guess that leaves me in the minority …
Finn McCool
June 25th, 2010
7:00 am
Brazil vs Portugal at 10am!!! This should be good.
x-wingback
June 25th, 2010
7:01 am
DAD-T Clinton still rules!
USinUK
June 25th, 2010
7:02 am
Finn – 6:48 – you saw that the French have actually figured out who is to blame for their total lackluster performance, haven’t you???
it’s the English (but, of course!)
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23848275-sulking-french-blame-england-for-their-world-cup-exit.do
and who can’t read this quote without hearing the French taunting accent from Holy Grail: ““It’s all about individualism, egotism, and everyone for themselves,” said Socialist Party spokesman Jerome Cahuzac, adding: “All that really matters is the size of the cheque.”” (your mother smells of elderberries!)
Lee
June 25th, 2010
7:04 am
Jay sure seems obsessed with this gays in the military thingy. Something you been wanting to tell us, bookboy?
The “Mad Max” character on the John Boy and Billy radio show had a good skit about this. Among the zingers:
“Gays in the military. Yeah, great idea. Let’s put the defense of America in the hands of the guys who got beat up all through high school.”
“What’s up with all these gay boys wanting in the military anyway. Some redneck calls them a name and they go running to the cops wanting to charge them with a hate crime. Now, they all ready to go rumble with [taliban].”
Good stuff. See if you can find it on you tube.
Lee
June 25th, 2010
7:06 am
Found it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvZtuwSJgD0&feature=PlayList&p=A6C0E3125F6F6C46&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=64
stands for decibels
June 25th, 2010
7:13 am
mornin’.
Anyone else find the right wing (ok, some of the right wing) response to the startling news that–ZOMG!! An OFFICER! VOTED! FOR! OBAMA!–to be hilarious?
stands for decibels
June 25th, 2010
7:20 am
“Let’s put the defense of America in the hands of the guys who got beat up all through high school.”
And DADT’s last pathetic, laughable plea for a stay of execution is heard.
USinUK
June 25th, 2010
7:20 am
“The “Mad Max” character on the John Boy and Billy radio show ”
I just love the smell of erudition in the morning …
oy.
stands for decibels
June 25th, 2010
7:26 am
innocent people from Leo Frank to Richard Jewell who were crucified in the media
To get nitpicky, I don’t know that it’s accurate to refer to Leo Frank as “innocent.”
What was done to him, however, was indefensible, and is still horrifying to revisit.
stands for decibels
June 25th, 2010
7:29 am
I see that Intrade has DADT’s repeal by EoY 2010 at 39… a smart buy? Anyone?
Fix-It
June 25th, 2010
7:34 am
Want to fix the gay issue, real easy, I don’t tell YOU what I do in my bedroom, and I sure as heck don’t care what you do in yours. So stop telling everybody your business…..damn
koid
June 25th, 2010
7:36 am
DON’T CARE DON’T TELL
jt
June 25th, 2010
7:37 am
You’ll never see THIS on Bookman’s blog or the MSM. It doesn’t fit the narrative. Only the right is extreme.
Kesha won her primary last week. This Texas Democrat wants to impeach Obama and “take our troops out of the war zone .
http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/kesha-rogers.jpg
You go girl!
Normal
June 25th, 2010
7:42 am
Good morning, y’all. Happy friday to you!
I took the day off, slept in and now I’m rarin’ to go. Mrs. Normal is having a “Girls night” tonight and I’m designated chef.
Get to try new recipes out. Before that, though, we are going to finish the bedroom my Mama will use if she has to come here to stay for awhile. Have a great day, and I’ll try to check in for the music.
As to the troops…bring them home and let them be themselves. Life’s too short, especially in the Military…especially today.
Soames
June 25th, 2010
7:56 am
Even the ‘evil’ Dick Cheney supports the repeal of DADT….
www. huffingtonpost .com /2010/02/14/dick-cheney-supports-dont_n_461853.html (remove spaces)
Torture is bad….we can’t stack up naked terrorists like folding chairs…not allowed to pee on Koran’s (Qouran whatever)..
Personally, I’m tired of hearing about Dick Cheney….there were some clowns blaming the oil spill on him the other day. The oil spill is the fault of the crew working on the rig and the management team that was in charge of overseeing them. Just like Obama couldn’t don a wet suit and plug the leaking pipe, Cheney wasn’t on the rig and didn’t cause the accident.
The real question is, can we stomach a confrontation with Iran and North Korea, possibly simultaneously? What are we doing in Afghanistan and why can’t everyone see that this is an un-winable battle that will not yield the pseudo-democracy that our leaders are hoping for? No one will be able to talk Iran down from the nuclear cliff so we best get prepared for the inevitable.
Bring the kids home…this is ridiculous.
midtownguy
June 25th, 2010
9:13 am
My suggestion is to keep my american civil rights at 75% of straight americans and in exchange allow me a 25% deduction on my Income Tax Return. “If you are homosexual check here and deduct 25% from the tax owed column.” Talk about folks bustin’ out of the closet!
Scout
June 25th, 2010
9:17 am
USinUK:
Good morning. You and your lib. friends are so blind.
The point of the Gore thing is that there was NOT enough evidence and therefore the Oregon paper was correct in not reporting it. However, if it had been a conservative or Palin’s first cousin it would have been all over that paper two years ago !
You libs. are dandies at the double standard ………. I have to give you credit.
NWO
June 28th, 2010
3:23 pm
From my experience, if an operator came out gay, he’d be out. I have personally seen that scenario play out. The guy wasn’t even allowed in the locker room or shower. The “competent” line is a bunch of BS. Might be so for an interpeter, not for an operator. We’re talking about the Atlantic Monthly here, right? Not exactly a quality source for inside military issues.