Sestak Fires Back At McCain Over Dont Ask Dont Tell

Rep. Joe Sestak, the former Navy admiral and Democratic Senate candidate from Pennsylvania, released a statement disapproving of Sen. John McCain's recent comments regarding the president's push to repeal "don't ask, don't tell."

"As the senior ranking military veteran in Congress, I am compelled to respond to Sen. McCain's opposition to President Obama's commitment to allowing all American troops to serve their country openly and honestly," Sestak's statement said. "The men and women who wear the cloth of this nation should be entitled to the rights they so heroically defend. How can a policy that has dismissed more than 13,000 trained, able, and honorable American servicemembers -- including upwards of 800 troops with 'mission critical' skills, like Arab linguists -- be viewed as successful?"

Sestak did not disagree with all of McCain's statements -- he agreed with the Arizona senator that the nation's military is the best in the world and the best in our nation's history. Sestak said he expects the transition to be handled "without detriment to readiness or capability."