I understand that the straw that broke the camel's back on this issue was House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's plan to call for a recorded vote on the issue when it came up first thing. The prospect of having daylight on the vote and having it not secret and recorded was just too much "distraction" for the rank and file republicans. The leadership didn't have enough (dare I say mandate) "capital" to put the rest of their colleagues, who clearly thought this was a bad idea, at ease.

Yes, it is. But "military justice" has been an oxymoron since Roman times, and the UCMJ certainly doesn't change that tradition. Having been on the shitty end of such rules (not in the military), I distrust them enormously.