Before, his target was David Hoffman.
Now, Jacob Meister is going after Mark Kirk.
Meister, a former Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, and Trevor Montgomery, an Iraq war veteran, this morning railed against Republican U.S. Senate nominee Mark Kirk for supporting the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.
Meister, previously one of Giannoulias' opponents, and Montgomery, active in Chicago-area Democratic politics, said the policy has harmed national security and military-recruitment efforts.
"It's time this policy come to an end," Meister said during a conference call with media this morning. "It's making a political football out of a truly important national-security issue."
The "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy allows gay individuals to serve in the military so long as they do not publicly discuss their sexual orientation.
President Barack Obama and Joint Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen have called for the repeal of the policy, but leading Republican lawmakers such as Vietnam veteran and former presidential nominee John McCain have argued to keep it.
Kirk's campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment this morning, but the U.S. Senate candidate has previously said that the policy has "worked out well" for the military.
The comments from Meister and Montgomery came about two hours before McCain was scheduled to appear with Kirk at Chicago's Union League Club for a fundraiser to discuss Obama's national-security policy during his first year as president.
Seats at the luncheon (scroll to bottom of post), closed to media and the public, were $250.
Montgomery, who said he is not gay, argued that the policy has prevented thousands of openly gay people from serving their country. He said the policy has also lowered troop morale among active military members.
"The general feeling was that this kind of policy is kind of ridiculous," Montgomery said. "I don't have anything against Mark Kirk personally," but "with this particular issue, he's on the wrong side."
Windy Citizen 