Not 1993 Anymore

Gays in the military was one of the early issues that tripped up the Clinton Presidency, for a variety of reasons, mainly because military brass like Colin Powell came out against it and undermined it. If President-elect Obama decides to institute the long-overdue proposal this year, he'll have some top generals and admirals supporting him:

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- More than 100 retired U.S. military leaders -- including the former head of the Naval Academy -- have signed a statement calling for an end to the military's "don't ask-don't tell" policy, according to a California-based think tank that supports the movement.

Retired Adm. Charles Larson, the former Naval Academy superintendent, tops the list of 104 retired general and admirals who want the government to repeal the policy, the Palm Center at the University of California, Santa Barbara, announced Monday.

"Don't ask-don't tell" was made law in 1993 after opposition ballooned to newly elected President Bill Clinton's plan to lift the military's complete ban on gay service members. The new policy stopped the practice of asking potential service members if they are gay but still required the dismissal of openly gay service members.

The Palm Center, which circulated the statement calling for the repeal of the "don't ask-don't tell" policy, is looking to President-elect Barack Obama to address the controversial issue of gays in the military.

The center points out that Larson, a four-star admiral who supported the measure in 1993, has changed his view on the policy. "There were a lot of witch hunts and a lot of people were turned out on that basis," he is quoted as saying in a Palm Center release.

I would say that Obama's leadership on this issue would be a powerful symbol of how far we've come and how ready the nation is for change. Obama has expressed that he would seek legislation on this rather than signing an executive order, in order to build consensus. It's beyond time for this. Don't ask don't tell is a joke, and we're actually hurting our readiness by rejecting those perfectly willing to serve. This can happen, too. It's not 1993 anymore.