US Senator John McCain in 2006 on MSNBC:

MCCAIN: We have to have the most effective and professional military that we can possibly obtain. I listen to people like General Colin Powell, Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and literally every military leader that I know. And they testified before Congress that they felt the “don‘t ask, don‘t tell” policy was the most appropriate way to conduct ourselves in the military. A policy that has been effective. It has worked.

Our all-volunteer force—this is another argument against the draft is the finest military we have ever had in our history. We have the most qualified, the bravest and most capable military we‘ve ever had in our history, and so I think that the policy is working. And I understand the opposition to it, and I‘ve had these debates and discussions, but the day that the leadership of the military comes to me and says, Senator, we ought to change the policy, then I think we ought to consider seriously changing it because those leaders in the military are the ones we give the responsibility to.

Today:

Great comment from The Daily Dish:

Congressmen and members of the public should pay less attention to the many retired flag officers (average date of commission: 1835) who oppose homosexuals openly serving in the U.S. military and should instead poll serving U.S. soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines. That's who Laura Miller and RAND will be polling. Their opinions, when combined with the desired policy preferences of the greater U.S. public, should be what matters. I could care less what some dude who garrisoned Shanghai in 1932 thinks.

The Arizona Senate is working on the Special Session budget proposal that Gov. Jan Brewer laid out yesterday. From what we hear, there's general bipartisan agreement on the proposal in the Senate, which is necessary because so many Republicans don't want to be on record as supporting a tax increase.

But we also hear there could be trouble brewing in the House of Representatives.

The sticking point in the House: Democrats don't want to increase the sales tax temporarily if Republicans are going to turn around and cut income and business taxes permanently, while Republicans don't want to increase the sales tax temporarily if the state does not cut income and business taxes permanently.

Meanwhile, we also hear that an alternative budget proposal is being secretly hammered out by rank-and-file Republicans and Democrats who are sidestepping leadership and trying to find a way of realistically dealing with the budget crisis rather than falling back on tired slogans and campaign rhetoric.

We have our doubts that any such proposals can survive the current political environment. But we'll bring you updates as we can.

While on assignment in the Bay Area last week, I had a chance to meet Andrew Clark, a producer with the Current network, which carries infoMania, a sort of Daily Show that only runs once a week. Here's a great clip:

Citing the lousy economy, the Pima County Board of Supervisors has voted 4-1 to scrap the idea of a bond election this November.

Supervisor Richard Elias was the lone vote against the motion, arguing that the county needed additional dollars for community amenities.

BREAKING NEWS UPDATE: In other business, the board has unanimously named Supervisor Richard Elias as the official mariachi counter for the effort to break the Guinness Book record of Most Mariachis In One Place.

"Bella Donna," by Juan Carlos Breceda, is among the works on display from Feb. 11 through Feb. 22 at the Tansey Gallery, 3001 E. Skyline Drive, Suite 109. The gallery is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Opening reception is from 5 to 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 11. Breceda will visit the gallery to demonstrate his techniques from 1 to 3 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 13.

• ©KISH'10

Recent observations show our dress-down concession now includes: flannel shirts, jeans, sneakers, shorts, shorter shorts, way-too-short shorts, leather jackets, spandex, hats with feathers, hats without feathers, bowling shirts, wallet chains, knee pads, fishnet anything, overalls and T-shirts printed to look like overalls.

That's all good, though, for as our fashion bar descends, we can increasingly use Tucson's most prolific natural resource. No, I don't mean grey water. I mean the natural resource that aids our charities and helps our community. No, I don't mean voter bond funds. I mean, of course, Tucson's many and varied thrift stores! From the orderly Savers, to the tiny one-offs whose interiors look like a fabric bomb went off, pretty much everything in thrift stores meets "Tucson casual" standards ... and it's cheap.

I wouldn't know how to shop any other way. When I find myself in a big-box store, I'm shocked at the high prices and lack of variety. Do people really spend that much money to wear the same tent-like shirt that a thousand (million?) other people are wearing? I'm more into scoring Italian, single-stitch dress shirts for $3 at Re-Threads on Pennington. H.O.P.E. on Sixth Avenue sums it up with their simple phone book ad: "All Clothing $1."

Of course, there's more than clothing available at our local thrifts. Restore on 22nd comes to mind for household fixtures. Where else can you buy an oven without an oven loan these days? Their premixed paints come in a range of unwanted colors, and are labeled with a dollop on each can's lid. Downtown, St. Vincent de Paul has nice knick-knacks, a groovy vintage section, and a Dali-esque outdoor space crammed with a plethora of slowly deteriorating objects. Down the street is the Salvation Army, where I rescued the ample desk upon which I'm now writing.

Thrift store shopping is recycling at it's best. Ever wonder where the contents of your blue recycling bin are headed: incinerator, landfill, loading dock at Wienerschnitzel? When you shop at Tucson's thrift stores, you're giving new life to something that would otherwise be discarded, while helping an altruistic cause. So, start digging for those plumed boas, rainbow suspenders and terry cloth sweatshirts, because "Tucson casual" is the only way to go.

The matching-funds provision in the Clean Elections system remains viable.

Howie has the details:

Arizona's system of public financing of elections remains in place, at least for the time being.

In a 2-1 ruling late Monday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed to allow the state to continue to give extra matching funds to publicly funded candidates when their privately financed foes spend more.

But Monday's ruling does not guarantee the money will be there when the publicly-funded candidates start applying for the match.

The court did not overturn U.S. District Judge Roslyn Silver, who found it unconstitutional to give extra taxpayer funds to publicly-funded candidates if their privately-funded opponent spends more than the limit set by the state.

Instead, it gives attorneys for the state and the Clean Elections Institute, which supports public financing, the time to make their case that Silver was wrong.

A hearing is set in April. But supporters of the system have an uphill fight.

From tomorrow's Pima County Board of Supervisors meeting agenda:

Presentation by Tim Escobedo and/or Celestino Fernandez to highlight the annual Mariachi Conference to be held in April and request that Pima County designate an official witness for the local event in an attempt to break its own "Guinness World Record" for assembling the most Mariachi bands in one location.

Gov. Jan Brewer has given up hope of getting lawmakers temporarily increase the sales tax by one penny. She’s now back to asking them to put it on the ballot next year.

Brewer called a special session this afternoon to use the few tricks the state still has in its pocket, including:

• Raising income taxes on out-of-state taxpayers.

• Borrowing more money by selling more state assets and then leasing them back;

• Borrowing against future lottery revenues.

• Put off more payments to schools.

• Putting the aforementioned one-cent sales tax proposal on the ballot.

It's not nearly enough to fix the problem.

Dan Shearer, editor of the Green Valley News and Sun and an occasional colleague on Arizona Illustrated's Friday Roundtable, weighs in on state Rep. Frank Antenori's push for an appointment to state Sen. Jonathan Paton's soon-to-be-vacant seat:

After Paton made it official, Antenori started lobbying for the appointment to the remainder of Paton’s term in the Senate.

And he did it with all the class of an Amsterdam hooker.