Dick Cheney in favor of repealing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’

When it comes to ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’, I never understood why this policy was ever needed. Hence, I never understood why gays couldn’t serve openly in the military. I of course never served in the military so I can’t pretend to think how soldiers feel about this either, so its a double edged sword. Regardless of what I think about DADT, Dick Cheney at least thinks its time to repeal it. You know, the same evil Dick Cheney that left wing nuts hate so much? According to The Hill, Cheney said that the support of military leaders had convinced him that it was time for a change.

“Twenty years ago the military were strong advocates of ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell.’ I think things have change significantly since then,” Cheney said on ABC’s “This Week.”

“I think that society has moved on. It’s partly a generational question,” he continued. “When the [Joint] Chiefs come forward and say ‘we think we can do it,’ is strikes me that it’s time to reconsider the policy.”

Cheney was referring to the testimony of Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Mullen told the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this month that it was “personal view” that repealing the law would be “the right thing to do.”

Defense Secretary Robert Gates also supported the change, but asked for a year to allow the military to review how to proceed with a repeal.

President Obama and Democrats in Congress want to see the law changed, perhaps as soon as the next Defense Department authorization bill.

Two notable architects of the original DADT policy–retired Gens. Colin Powell and John Shalikashvili–also now support a repeal.

“In the almost 17 years since the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ legislation was passed, attitudes and circumstances have changed,” Powell said in a statement following Mullen’s testimony. “I fully support the new approach presented to the Senate Armed Services Committee this week by Secretary of Defense Gates and Admiral Mullen.”

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February 14, 2010 · Filed Under General Politics


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