" For quite some time, U.S. troops have supported repealing the military’s “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy. A December 2006 poll of servicemembers who had served in Iraq or Afghanistan found 73 percent of those polled were “comfortable with lesbians and gays.” A 2004 poll found that a majority of junior enlisted servicemembers believed gays and lesbians should be allowed to serve openly in the military, up from 16 percent in 1992.

The military’s leadership is finally catching up to its troops. On Sunday, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen told graduating cadets at the U.S. Military Academy that the military was ready to accept gay servicemembers if Congress repeals DADT:

With a national election looming, a cadet asked about the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law and what would happen if someone took office who wants to change it. “It’s a law, and we follow it,” Mullen said. Should the law change, the military will carry that out too, he said.

“We are a military that is under the control of our civilian elected leaders,” he said. “It has served us well since we’ve been founded. That is a special characteristic of our country and I would never do anything to jeopardize that.”

Mullen’s statement is a refreshing change from the military leadership’s traditional approach under the Bush administration. In March 2007, then-Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Peter Pace publicly stated that homosexuality is “immoral.” He said that he supported DADT because “we should not condone immoral acts.” At the time, Defense Secretary Robert Gates refused to condemn Pace’s remarks, calling the general “one of the finest people I’ve ever worked with.”

Even public discussion of DADT has been considered taboo.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Service people are overwhelmingly comfortable with gays and lesbians serving in the armed forces. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mullen favors accepting gays and lesbians in the services.

Do you think Congress will repeal the Don't Ask Don't Tell ruling?

Fr_Chuck

yes, Hillary made a tough but correct choice on the war but she like many, when American tires of a war. ( American no longer has the support to fight wars like WWI or WWII was) so as the public wants to move on, and not willing to do what it takes to actually win a war, the people elected will not stard up for thier choices and change thier mind
They should be willing to take thier stand even if they get poor approval ratings.

fanman

Any President can accomplish it by Executive Order. It is not law, it is policy.

Harry Truman integrated the armed forces with a stroke of the pen. He was correcting the action of Woodrow Wilson, who resegregated the armed forces with the stroke of a pen after Abraham Lincoln had begun the desegregation of the armed forces with the stroke of a pen.

I believe that a couple of redneck generals told Harry that they could not and would not command an integrated army. I believe Harry asked them how soon they intended to submit their resignations.

Bill Clinton WANTED to do this but lacked the political will to do so.

BABRAM

Nope! Not just any woman, and certainly not Hillary. If we were to vote strictly on gender which seems to be what your battle cry suggests when you make a statment such as,"Takes A WOMAN To Do A Man's Job," than I would certainly vote for rational non-selfish intelligent woman that's not divisive; bye-bye Hillary!



Directly below your profile name you provided the location. Maybe you don't get news updates where you have been "currently assigned to the Earth plane?" Obama now leads Hillary in more popular votes, more elections won, more delegates, and as of today, more superdelegates.

SkyGem

Leading all except in *electability* which is the most important of all. If people do indeed vote for him should he become the Democratic nominee, no doubt they will go to the polling booths and hold their nose as they cast their vote while many others will simply switch and give McCain their vote. However, it ain't over till it's over. The states of Michigan and Florida need to be counted as people cast their votes there which totals millions! Those votes cannot simply be discounted by the DNC. That would be a great affront to the voters who took their time to go and vote and want their vote to count. If their vote is not going to count, then they should consider giving their full support to McCain where it WILL count!

BABRAM

You mean "Hillary" a candidate that's not even electable in the Democratic primary, you want for the general election??? You mean "Hillary" whom flip-flopped on the Michigan and Florida issue after they were warned by the DNC and herself not to move up their election dates???!!! That Hillary??? I guess she would want to count those two states now knowing that Obama didn't campaign in Florida and was not even on Michigan ballots. The delegates will end being seated in a fair manner, but what kind of nazi campaign is your candidate wanting to run??? She's done everything short of putting a gun to the head of voters and still comes up short. Small minded selfish individuals that are so bitter at Obama to threat voting for McCain are hypocritical divisive people and there no good for any party. So if your going to vote for McCain than be mature enough to do so based on the issues.

SkyGem

You bet I will look at the issues! For starters, who is the most PATRIOTIC of the two (yes, you bet that counts for much in my book and that of many others!) And to continue the thought, I don't mean Obama now presumably wearing an American flag pin (Too Little, Too Late!); Who has an excellent military service record not only for defending us in wars but also defending his own record in the U.S. Senate! But who most aligns with Wright who says all those nasty anti-American things about our great country? Certainly not McCain!! And with all the flip-flops of Obama, he would make a circus clown look pitifully and ridiculously underdressed! People still look to experience in the nation's Chief Executive and with Obama still quite wet behind the ears, they will jettison from Obama to McCain as so many are now saying! So, you know the rest of the story! Aside from that, people are going to vote their mind and they are incensed with all the baggage that Obama now carries. It certainly is Time For CHANGE (We Can Truly Believe In!) -- McCain if Clinton loses the nomination!

BABRAM

So originally your were going to vote for Hillary based on her excellent military record??? Are you OK??? Perhaps a little under the weather???

McCain going to have to read cue cards about Iraq he's so confused and disorientated in discussions. I've met McCain personally and I think he, like millions of others, served his country proudly. My family has been in almost every war since we migrated to the States over a century ago. If I ever need a nurse to straighten out a splint while in prison, I'll call McCain. Bozo the clown if Obama loses the general election!

SkyGem

Well, we'll see what happens! By the way, did you hear about Hillary just TROUNCING Obama in W. Va. tonight! Gotta Luv It!!

BABRAM

Try not to qoute me in the same format as yourself. You're darn near as confusing as McCain, although I do think your better years are still to come. Why am I not surpised that winning in a small state that Obama didn't campaign for deligently has you blushing???!!!

tomder55

Yup even the "eggheads " went for Hillary Rotten yesterday

She is correct in pointing out that no Dem has won in almost a century without taking W Va. The white working class is leaving Obamamania in droves . McCain ;as much as I hate it;is positioning himself as the more traditional Democrat to exploit this.