Kirk talks about voting for repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell'
New Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk was one of only eight Republicans to break from his party and vote for repeal of the ‘don't ask, don't tell' policy banning openly gay troops from serving in the military.
For months, Kirk, a 21-year Naval reservist, said he planned to take an in-depth look at the Joint Chiefs of Staff's report on the effects of repeal, but until the vote was called Saturday he kept his thoughts on the information it contained, and its effect on his decision, close to the vest.
In a Saturday afternoon interview, the former suburban Congressman shared his thoughts on how he came to cast his “aye” vote.
Q. What was it about the report that made you vote for repeal?A. I spent a long time with the report. It's over 300 pages. I also had a long one-on-one with the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Gary Roughead. I was assured that this was the right way to go. There are always concerns when we eliminate one personnel policy and we have to replace it with a new one. It has to be well worked out. I felt the careful military work had been done in this case by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Q. What were some of the concerns you brought to the table?A. In the Navy, we talk about making policies and equipment #8220;sailor proof.#8221; Making things easy to understand, fair and work well. #8230; Working out the kinks in combat is not the time to do that. Q. Tell us about your conversations with the Roughead. Was there any one thing he said that really stuck with you?A. He added an aspect that wasn't in the report. He said the Navy was being whipsawed by court decisions, which was causing institutions to start and stop recruitment policies. Those orders can be both uncertain and conflicting. Military leaders, not federal judges should be running our armed forces.Q. You met with numerous military officials, even as late as this Wednesday, to hear their thoughts on repealing the ban. Do you believe there was consensus among them?A. You bet. I can't quantify (how many I spoke to), but I even had an emotional interaction with my first commanding officer, Captain Mike Halbig. He told me, #8220;I had one son in the Navy and now I can have another.#8221;Q. Serving in the military yourself, do you know many gay troops? A. I don't. We were totally focused on disposing of the enemy and some of these social issues really (were secondary). I would say that you need to focus on the mission. When the enemy is shooting at us, they're not shooting at Republicans or Democrats or gay or straight soldiers, they're shooting at Americans. Q. Have you received any flak from your party over this vote?A. Not particularly. It comes with the job. But I am a centrist conservative. I promised voters I would be. Q. Some Republicans have said they're resentful of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid bringing so many major pieces of legislation up for a vote during the veto session. Are you?A. We've had a big week. We were able to prevent a huge tax increase. We stopped a $1.1 trillion spending bill and made this change (to military policy). I think it is time for the lame duck Congress to wrap it up. It's time for action from a brand new Congress that has a much fresher mandate.