John McCain

We are very deeply concerned about Wikileaks, the impact that it has had on identifying people who were cooperating with us in Afghanistan and Iraq.

I remain concerned, as I have in the past and as demonstrated in this study, that the closer we get to servicemembers in combat, the more we encounter concerns about whether DADT should be repealed and what impact that would have on the…

We can all agree that our military today is the most effective, most professional, and arguably the most experienced force that our Nation has ever had.

The military is a meritocracy, where success is based on what you do, not who you are.

Have you held anyone responsible, was my question.

I couldn't disagree more. We send these young people into combat. We think they're mature enough to fight and die.

Is it your personal opinion that this law should be repealed?

It is true there is no constitutional right to serve in the Armed Forces, but the military serves all the people of this country, no matter who they are or what they believe.

Nothing will change about our standards of conduct. Nothing will change about the dignity, the fairness, and the equality with which we treat our people.

The question of whether the law should be repealed is a matter for Congress to decide.

I think we can all agree, and I certainly would, that this capable, professional force of ours could, I emphasize, could, implement a repeal of DADT if ordered to.

5 minutes is not sufficient time for anything, frankly, but statements by the members.

Nor do I believe that simply acknowledging what most of our troops already know to be true about some of their colleagues threatens our ability to fight and win this Nation's wars.

We treat each other with respect or we find another place to work, period.

Most important, ending this discriminatory policy is the right thing to do.

This is obviously a transcendently important issue, and to allow our members 5 minutes with the Secretary of Defense is simply not adequate enough.

Frankly, that's why I believe that in the long run repeal of this law makes us a stronger military and improves our readiness.

I hope that everyone will put aside political motives and agendas.

What I want to know, and what is Congress' duty to determine, is not can our Armed Forces implement a repeal of this law, but whether the law should be repealed.

Mr. Secretary, finally, we are very deeply concerned about WikiLeaks, the impact that it has had on identifying people who were cooperating with us and Afghanistan and Iraq and some leaders who have said they have blood on their hands.

We send these young people into combat. We think they're mature enough to fight and die, I think they're mature enough to make a judgment on who they want to serve with and the impact on their battle effectiveness.

I am simply saying that it may be premature to make such a change at this time and in this manner without further consideration of this report and further study of the issue by Congress.

We send these young people into combat, we think they're mature enough to fight and die, I think they're mature enough to make a judgment on who they want to serve with and the impact on their battle effectiveness.

I fear that what John McCain is doing right now is, he's trying to re-litigate the election, unfortunately. And he is just standing in the way of this...

There was no problems in the military with don't ask, don't tell. It was a critical promise.