Mullen Proves His Mettle
Do Tell, Don’t Discriminate
That was one small step for Mullen, one giant leap for the U.S. military.
I don’t know if Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen was thinking of posterity when he chose his words in support of allowing gays to serve openly and honestly in the U.S. military, but his testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee marks a historic turning point in the debate over ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.“
Emphasizing that he was speaking for himself, and himself only, Mullen said, “It is my personal belief that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be the right thing to do. 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.“
In uttering out loud what many in the military have come to believe in the 17 years since the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” compromise was forced on President Clinton by Congress, Admiral Mullen has fired a shot across the bow of members of congress, and fellow military officers who want discrimination against homosexuals to remain the law of the land.
At the end of the day, that IS what the debate is all about, ending discrimination. You either believe gays should be discriminated against, or you don’t. I happen to believe they should not be.
The original idea of allowing gays to serve openly was that they would be judged — like all members of the military — on their conduct, not their sexual orientation.
[Interesting take on Mullen’s maverick stand from my pal Andrea Stone over at AoL news]
Mullen has finally taken a stand, after avoiding any clear-cut position in the past, but he is still equivocating in an effort to appease supporters of DA/DT in congress and in the ranks of the military. “There will be some disruption in the force,” he warns, sounding a little like Obi-Wan Kenobe, and noting that the current ban on gays came about because the American people and Congress “spoke” on the subject.
“There are those on both sides of this debate who speak as if there is no debate,” Mullen said indicating he’d be okay with whatever Congress decides. “We will continue to obey that law, and we will obey whatever legislative and executive decisions come out of this debate.”
Adm. Mike Mullen, Joint Chiefs Chairman, Feb 2, 2010 — DoD photo
Still Mullen went much further than his predecessor Gen. Peter Pace, a marine who held the personal belief that homosexuality — like adultery — is immoral.
And Mullen has given his Commander-in-Chief much more support than Colin Powell gave Bill Clinton, when he told then new president in 1993 that openly acknowledging that gays were in the ranks would require separate accommodations, and warning that his fellow Joint Chiefs, and most of the military, were dead set against it. Powell argued the problem was privacy, and when critics said he was endorsing the kind of bigotry that would have kept him out if the mess hall decades ago, Powell with the argument that “skin color is a benign, nonbehavioral characteristic,” while “sexual orientation is perhaps the most profound of human behavioral characteristics. Comparison of the two is a convenient but invalid argument,” Powell said in a letter to Congress.
In my 16 years of covering the Pentagon, encountered many gays in uniform, and I talked to senior officers who served along side gays, and concluded it wasn’t really much of a threat to “good order and disciple“
When I discussed it with Marine Corps Gen, Jim Jones, (Now National Security Advisor) back in 2008 he told me, “I think it’s time for all of us to generally understand that people can serve and serve honorably regardless of where they come from. I think we should try to keep good people and I think as long as their service is ah, the quality of their service is in keeping with what it is we are trying to do.“
A lot has happened since 1993. As Sen. Levin pointed out the opening of Tuesday’s hearing, “In the latest Gallup poll, the American public overwhelmingly supports allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military. Sixty-nine percent of Americans are recorded as supporting their right to serve, and many in fact are serving.“
One recent study estimated that 66,000 gays and lesbians are serving today.
It’s time that they are able to defend their country without worrying their careers will end for the way their brain is wired.
(polls)
Tags: Don't Ask Don't Tell, Gays, Mike Mullen
