Florida Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Kendrick Meek seized on the most recent reversal of opinion by his independent opponent, Governor Charlie Crist, who said today that he would "be inclined" to support a Senate compromise on the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays in the military.
The Senate deal being discussed this week on Capitol Hill would lift the ban on gays in the military, but only after the Pentagon completes a study toward the end of the year and the Pentagon is certain it won't hurt the military. The governor said:
"Ultimately, as in all military matters I defer to the Pentagon and to the Generals and what the Senate is doing today is giving them the ultimate authority to do what is best for our military. So, I would be inclined to support the Senate's action on this."
On a conference call with reporters this afternoon, Meek savaged Crist, saying, "This is not about being independent, this is about whatever way the wind blows for his campaign."
Meek said this is the third recent issue in which the governor has flip-flopped, mentioning last month's conversion back to opposing offshore drilling near Florida, and also his veto of SB6 , the education reform bill that won him the hearts of many teachers across the state when he vetoed the bill. "The only thing he stands for from one day to the next is his own self-preservation," Meek said. "This is not the kind of leadership that Florida needs."
