At least it’s a Step Forward
Adm Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff said in front of a Senate hearing that repealing the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy is the right thing to do.
Some quotes from Adm Mullen:
“No matter how I look at this issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens.”
[The issue] “comes down to integrity, theirs as individuals and ours as an institution”.
Now this is not to say that the policy has been repealed or is going to anytime soon, but for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to get up in front of the Senate and say the he believes we should repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell” it is definitely a step in the right direction.
While President Obama has already committed to repealing the policy, it will definitely be helpful and more widely accepted in the military if more high level military officials get on board. Obama has been slow to make the move to eliminate “don’t ask, don’t tell” but hopefully 2010 is the year for change.
