Arizona Senator John McCain has altered
course on repeal of “Don't Ask, Don't Tell,” the law that bans
gay and bisexual troops from serving openly.
McCain, the ranking Republican on the
Senate Armed Services Committee, led the GOP in opposition to repeal
of the 17-year-old law. He twice united Republicans in blocking
repeal of the law.
When it became clear that several
Republicans had defected to support its repeal, McCain, sensing
defeat, said on the Senate floor: “Today is a very sad day.”
But in a Fox News interview on
Thursday, McCain altered course, saying he was prepared to work on
the implementation of repeal.
“I think I have to do everything I
can to make sure that the impact on the morale, retention,
recruitment and battle effectiveness of the military is minimized as
much as possible,” McCain said. “It is a law and I have to do
whatever I can to help the men and women who are serving,
particularly in combat, cope with this new situation. I will do
everything I can to make it work.”