Dems have gotten used to dumping on Lieberman for things like backing McCain and doing his part to stall/kill healthcare reform in the senate - things that often make progressives (myself included) more annoyed with him than we are with the GOP.
That said, props to Lieberman for introducing a bill in the Senate that would end Don't Ask Don't Tell. In an interview with the NY Daily News, Lieberman sounded once again like the pragmatic social liberal/FoPo hawk that he used to be:
In an exclusive interview with the Daily News, Lieberman told me that his commitment to repealing DADT is twofold. First, allowing gays to serve openly fulfills the bedrock American promise of providing citizens with "an equal opportunity to do whatever job their talents and sense of purpose and motivations lead them to want to do - including military service." Second, and no less important for a lawmaker whose commitment to national security the Pentagon can't doubt, is that "When you artificially limit the pool of people who can enlist then you are diminishing military effectiveness."
Both excellent points - and hopefully Lieberman's status as a die-hard hawk, and his connections with the GOP, will make this a little easier to pass. But before you start to think that the GOP might sign on to repeal this unpopular, bigoted, and deeply counterproductive law... GOP Presidential contender and gay-basher Rick Santorum has decided that, if military brass like Admiral Mullen support ending DADT, it's because they've been "brainwashed" by liberals:
"Political correctness is reigning in the military right now," he said. "Some people say: whatever the generals say! I'm not too sure that we haven't so indoctrinated the officer corps in this country that they can actually see straight to make the right decision."
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