On Tuesday, the Senate voted not to bring the defense reauthorization bill to the floor for debate. In doing so, they also voted not to bring to the floor the amendment to the bill which would have ended DADT. The vote was almost completely along party lines with the two Democrats from Arkansas crossing to vote with the Republicans.
After the vote, two senators aired the reasons for his votes. Al Franken addressed the Senate to tell a story about the reaction to DADT jokes he told during a USO tour. During the story, his voice cracks with emotion. John McCain, on the other hand, during an interview, launched into a rant about how the policy is written. This tale of two senators shows how differently politicians approach the issues. Franken is thinking about the soldiers, respecting the people who serve our country. McCain was more concerned about policy and procedure. In fact, his mantra became, "it is not the policy, it is not the policy, it is not the policy."
