''And of course I don't seek out someone who is gay. Why should I? These are all men and women who are serving. Why should I, that would be nuts.... No. No, I don't [see it as a civil rights issue]. As Colin Powell said when don't ask, don't tell was first inaugurated, there's a difference between sexual preference and the color of one's skin. That was General Powell's statement.... He was in favor of it, and now he's come out ... for the repeal. Yeah. I think what he said then still holds true today, that it is a different issue. I think Colin Powell wants to repeal don't ask, don't tell. I don't think he views it now as a civil rights issue, though.''
A testy Senator John McCain (R-AZ) who appears to have been irked by an Arizona Daily Star reporter's questions about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" -- asking for clarification on why he remains opposed to gays serving in the military despite the change of heart by one of the bill's original crafters, General Colin Powell. McCain says in this interview that a study of the law needs to be conducted; and he oddly insists that military brass in support of repeal express only "personal" opinion, but commanders who are opposed to gays are expressing "professional" opinion. McCain repeats that the review should be completed first, adding that he cannot predict what the report will say; then he immediately contradicts that open-mindedness by stating that he's already "convinced" that the gay-excluding policy "is working and has worked well." (Arizona Daily Star)
McCain, a failed Presidential candidate, is currently struggling to maintain his Senate seat against another far-right Republican challenger, J.D. Hayworth, who famously claimed gay marriage would lead to men marrying horses. That statement is referenced in a new, mocking campaign video that claims to be "Paid for by Friends of John McCain." McCain is opposed to gay and lesbian couples receiving marriage equality.
