The Fix: Crist announced that he supports repealing the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/morning-fix/1-2-3-6.html
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist announced Thursday that he supports repealing the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy -- a reversal from just three days earlier, when Crist told reporters he thought the policy "has worked pretty well for America".
"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,'' Crist, who is running for the Senate as an independent, said in a statement Thursday afternoon.
Crist's rivals in the Senate race reacted quickly -- and negatively -- to the reversal. Former state House Speaker Marco Rubio (R), who opposes repeal, said Crist's new position "comes stunningly just three days after telling Florida reporters he saw no need to change the policy."
Rep. Kendrick Meek (D) told reporters on a conference call that "the only thing Charlie Crist stands for from one day to the next is his own self preservation." Meek is in favor of repealing the policy, and his stance may have influenced Crist, who has been wooing Democratic voters since leaving the GOP last month.
It's not the first time Crist has switched sides on an issue - see his recent shift on offshore drilling - and it's not likely to be the last as he seeks to find a way to cobble together independent, Democratic and moderate Republican votes in the fall.