Santorum Suggest Military Was 'Indoctrinated' Into Supporting DADT Repeal

Former Republican senator Rick Santorum accused military leaders on Saturday of having become so "indoctrinated" with political correctness that they can no longer "see straight."

The Pennsylvania arch-conservative was specifically referring to the brass's support of a repeal of the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy. A long-time opponent of gay rights, Santorum expressed concern that changing the law would sap the readiness and effectiveness of the armed forces.

"My thoughts are this," he said, in a morning speech before Conservative Political Action Conference. "The military is there for one purpose and one purpose only, and that is to protect and defend the United States of America.

"We have a volunteer army," he added. "They can un-volunteer too."

Addressing how the military leadership, led by Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mike Mullen, could now favor a repeal of the law, Santorum raised the specter of brainwashing.

"Political correctness is reigning in the military right now," he said. ""Some people say: [Do] whatever the generals say [on DADT]. 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."

The line went over well with the CPAC crowd. And while it wasn't quite as strange as, say, then-Republican presidential candidate George Romney declaring in 1967 that the military brass had "brainwashed" him into supporting the Vietnam War, it also wasn't the most outrageous remark Santorum has made on the issue of gay rights. That honor goes to the infamous "man on dog" analogy he drew with respect to gay marriage. "In every society, the definition of marriage has not ever to my knowledge included homosexuality," Santorum said back in 2003. "That's not to pick on homosexuality. It's not, you know, man on child, man on dog, or whatever the case may be."

Comments

[carl99e]

08:40 AM on 03/06/2010

Fine, but if this is so, could we please have a few more samples of this kind of "indoctrination"?

[MarkInIrvine]

01:39 AM on 03/03/2010

Gosh, Rick - it must be that irresistible homosexual agenda again ... working its way into the trousers of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (no pun intended).

[EcnelisDoogod]

09:31 PM on 03/02/2010

Wow. This guy seems to be fixated on the things he has chosen not to explore. Me thinks he does protest too much.

[MarkInEugene]

09:07 PM on 03/02/2010

My hope is that adults, the world over, are beginning to really understand that people like Rick Santorum, who are vehemently opposed to gay rights, have a deep seated fear of homosexuality. I have never met a heterosexual that was secure in their sexuality that had such contempt, fear and anger toward homosexuals like Rick Santorum does. It's not healthy and on the contrary it keeps humanity from realizing that we are not all carbon copies of Brad and Angelina, and that is ok.

It's not his fear, but rather his desperate intolerance that is pathological and dangerous. His anger goes beyond mere religious intolerance or a basic fear of the unknown. He is obsessed with the suppression of gay rights and installing an egocentric cast-like system of holier-than-thou categories....with LGBT citizens at the bottom.

Just as with Larry Craig, I would bet money that Santorum is a deeply conflicted man struggling with his own inner sexual tendencies. And unfortunately for gays and lesbians, he nevertheless qualified to be a state senator inflicting his own neurotic self-hatred on them through law. That's why all American's should support our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters and help them fight against such tyranny.

[MarkInIrvine]

01:40 AM on 03/03/2010

He is kinda hot, though, dontcha think?

[BigHound1]

12:40 AM on 03/02/2010

Isn't Santorum's name really Dick? Years ago, we had Tricky Dick; now we have Rick-D-Dick. Both were crooked politicians.

[jdunaway65]

07:17 PM on 03/17/2010

Let's not forget the biggest Dick of them all -- CHENEY!!!!

[Icantbelieveher]

08:47 AM on 02/23/2010

I haven't been able to be on HuffPo that much lately, but I wanted to respond to LionsDen's posting in response to mine!

I don't know if you'll see this or not, but I must respond to your rant. The fact is that it is not a Christian's place to judge their neighbor or whether or not they are sinning! It is a Christian's place to live a life that others will look at and say, "What's he got that makes him so happy and so kind and so forgiving?" The so-called republican "Christians" have turned more people away from God then they ever bring to him.

The fact is that these people are too happy to pick up that stone and throw it at whoever they feel is not like them. And the venom with which they treat gays, poor people and defenseless children is nothing like Christ! God wanted us to help our brothers, not judge them and decide when they are or aren't sinning.

The fact is I don't hate others for what they say -- but I do get angry when I hear people say, "If that's Christianity, you can keep it!" I get angry when people use the name of God to further their hateful, greedy agenda and become so pious that they can't see the log in their own eye! They are too busy pointing out the twig in someone else's!

[jdunaway65]

07:20 PM on 03/17/2010

WOW! Well said -- fanned!

I agree with you wholeheartedly, especially the aspect of these kinds of so-called "Christians" turning people off of religion. I was brought up in the Church of Christ, and my parents were more of your mindset, but 90% + of the congregations I had belonged to were the stone-throwers. Thanks to them, I left the church as soon as I was an adult, and have been leery of even entering a church building unless it is for a wedding or a funeral!

[FantasticFourFan]

10:47 PM on 02/22/2010

I love all this talk about troops being "brainwashed". Sort of like how they were "brainwashed" into thinking gays posed a threat to them in the first place? It's not "brainwashing" if all your doing is correcting a misconception in the first place.

[ibsteve2u]

10:32 PM on 02/22/2010

Santorum: "We have a volunteer army," he added. "They can un-volunteer too."

Oh, but that is frowned upon, Mr. Santorum.

You can hide from service, as is the chosen path of so very many "arch-conservatives" who later become raving chickenhawks in unacknowledged compensation for their earlier cowardice, but "un-volunteering" once you sign upon the dotted line interferes with the military's ability to carry out their mission.

These are not the days of the Colonial Army, where you marched through a neighborhood calling for men of action, marched another two hundred miles and promptly went to war; men and women must be trained, assigned to units, and - importantly - show up to be shipped out.

"Conservatives"...I believe that they do not find paying the taxes required to buy ammunition to be patriotic, either.

Scratch a modern "conservative", and you find someone who can generate numerous reasons for betraying their country. Their God is Fox; their morality, honor, and patriotism, faux.

[dfranz]

03:49 PM on 02/22/2010

The holy and pious Rick Santorum, who believes that everyone thinks like him, should have done the Patriotic thing and gone into the military himself. Because if he did he would understand that while their is strict discipline, there is institutionally no bias in the military. It is the one place a person can succeed by their own initiative regardless of what race or religious affiliation they are. While there are bigots and homophobes like every part of society, it is not tolerated. If a person is willing to put his or her life on the line serving our country, they deserve respect and admiration and not being singled out by some dork who has never served.

[disgusted48]

03:42 PM on 02/22/2010

why is this guy still talking. he lost his senate seat because the voters in PA were sick of hearing his mouth. I for one, am sick of hearing from every has been, 15 minutes of fame, Tom, Dick and Harry with half a brain, a big mouth and an opinion.

[jeremyfive]

03:39 PM on 02/22/2010

What is the point of a national political forum being addressed by a low-life bigot and tax-cheat?

Why were Rick Santorum's children (expensively) home-schooled by his district, when he maintained a primary residence in another state???

Taxes. It caught up with Al Capone, and it will catch up with Rick Santorum.

Filthy bigoted crook.

[windsongrobbie]

01:36 PM on 02/22/2010

This guy is a total loser! He should just go away, as he has NO political future.

[Eric4969]

12:17 PM on 02/22/2010

Our Great Constitution written by a few OLD WHITE MEN at a time where A few of them had SLAVES,Wemon Couldn't Vote,Mexicans,Indians,Blacks or any other Race had ZERO say so in this Beloved Constitution. Why is this STUPID peace of paper so regarded as the LAW written in a time so long ago. O yeh alot of America Still believe in the MAN MADE BIBLE and MAN MADE RELIGION. Why are we so SLOW as a species LOL...... Can't believe we're in 2010 and still believing in things we thought 200 and 2000 years ago. The people back then are not as smart as we are today NOT EVEN CLOSE. But we seem DUMBER when it comes to the good of our fellow MAN. So SAD.........

[annie0107]

11:57 AM on 02/22/2010

Even CPAC attendees think this guy is a jerk ... only 2% of them support Santorum for President!!!!!!!!

[dwedge]

11:30 AM on 02/22/2010

I'm sure he relied on his vast military experience before offering his expert opionion. Oh wait, he doesn't have any military experience. Maye he relied on his vast human experience. Oh wait .....