Political Quotes

“I rise in opposition to the amendment offered by the gentleman from Indiana. I oppose the amendment because it intrudes on the inherent responsibility of commanders to assess the fitness for promotion of servicemembers under their command. As a former president myself of the Mid-Carolina Mental Health Association, I appreciate mental health issues. Our commanders strive to be fair, and the service policies prevent prejudicial consideration of mental health treatment that carries no implications for performance and promotion qualification. This amendment would require our commanders to withhold evidence of behavior that is clearly inconsistent with promotion. I am concerned whether it is even ethical to demand our commanders to ignore such information that they see as a risk to force readiness. A commander must make a recommendation on every individual regarding promotion eligibility. Once aware of facts that would clearly cause a commander to question a servicemember's fitness for promotion, it would seem impossible for a commander to render a recommendation that supports the member's promotion. It is unfair to ask our commanders to be so disingenuous. The risk is that this amendment would routinely eliminate important factors from the promotion process that will result in the promotion of unqualified members over more deserving members.…”