McCain calls study on gays in military flawed

WASHINGTON (AP) — Directly challenging the Pentagon's top leadership, Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain today snubbed a military study on gays as flawed and said letting gays serve openly would be dangerous in a time of war.

McCain's opposition foreshadows the upcoming Senate debate on a bill that would overturn the 1993 "don't ask, don't tell" law, which bans gays from serving openly in the service.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has promised a vote, but McCain has helped to block previous debate on the Senate floor.

Further dimming chances of repeal this month was a recent agreement among Senate Republicans not to vote on any bill before addressing tax cuts and government spending.

McCain, a former Navy pilot, comes from a long family line of service in the military. He was a Vietnam era prisoner of war. and was the Republican presidential nominee in 2008 who lost to Barack Obama.