Goldblog writes that "the military has a real and abiding need to recruit more Muslims, and not fewer, to its ranks, for all the obvious reasons -- language skills and cultural knowledge, for starters." His follow up:
I want all sorts of Muslims (people of Arab descent, Iranian descent, Pashtun descent) in our military for all the obvious reasons, including, by the way, because the military can serve as an effective melting pot and break down barriers among different ethnic groups (as it has done so effectively for blacks and whites). But this doesn't mean that soldiers -- of all backgrounds (Timothy McVeigh comes to mind) -- shouldn't, or can't, be screened for dangerous behaviors or beliefs. Of course I want more Muslim soldiers in the American military. What I don't want is anti-American soldiers in the American military.