Gillibrand gets two unlikely allies in fight against military sexual assault

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is not giving up on her efforts to have military sexual assault dealt with by legal experts, not military commanders, and she has picked up some rather unexpected allies:
In addition to Cruz, Sen. Rand Paul joined Gillibrand and Sen. Barbara Boxer in a press conference pushing for an amendment to the upcoming defense authorization bill::

Paul said changes Gillibrand agreed to make to her amendment — ensuring military-specific crimes like going AWOL and disobeying orders remain in the chain of command — helped get him on board and would also be a selling point for other conservatives.

“I see no reason why conservatives shouldn’t support this. The only thing I think is standing in the way is just sort of the status quo,” he said.

Military leaders, though, like the status quo in which they can decide whether and how to prosecute and overturn jury verdicts on sexual assault charges. Gillibrand writes that:

Even the current military leadership admits "the system has failed" and victims don't come forward because, "They don't trust the chain of command." Yet these same military leaders claim this one decision making point must remain within the chain of command in order to maintain good order and discipline. As I said in a Senate hearing I chaired, with an estimated 26,000 cases of unwanted sexual contact last year, how can they say they have "good order and discipline" now?

Gillibrand's proposal was removed in committee by Democratic Sen. Carl Levin last month. Levin claims he's replaced it with meaningful changes to how the military handles sexual assault, but his plan leaves key decisions in the hands of the commanders who have been failing so egregiously to deal with the problem of military sexual assault. And now we've got Ted Cruz and Rand Paul taking a stronger stand than Levin. Boy, Levin's retirement just can't come fast enough.