Obama committed to ending "don't ask, don't tell" policy, aide says

Obama aide: Ending 'don't ask, don't tell' must wait

In a response to a question on the Web site Change.gov asking whether Obama would get rid of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said: "You don't hear politicians give a one-word answer much. But it's 'Yes.'"

Gibbs goes on to say that Obama will not be able to make all his proposed changes immediately, but that he is still committed to ending the policy.

All I can say is, it's about time. The social conservatives have run the store for far too long, mixing their counterproductive ideology with our national politics. I mean, come on. Fighting a "global war on terror," and at the same time firing some of our most qualified experts simply because they're gay? Who does that? I'll give you a hint: the same people who run a presidential campaign solely on a platform of homophobia and charging that the opponent, himself a war veteran, is effete.

Let's face it, the only consequences of having gays serve openly in the military are that a few homophobic oafs will think that some of their fellow soldiers are looking at their asses in the shower. Which ain't happening. I'm certain the last thing gay soldiers (who already have been quietly serving with the homophobes) want to look at are the asses of the men they surely know would hate them if they knew they were gay.

Our military men are trained professionals, yes even the gay ones, and if they volunteer for service, then they deserve to be there. There won't be any Corporal Klingers running around in dresses, there will just be men and women doing their jobs as they were trained to do. And they'll continue to prove themselves, and probably sooner rather than later, all those old prejudices and stereotypes will vanish just as happened for the Japanese-American 442nd in World War II and for African Americans when Truman integrated the Army.

CNN says their polling shows that over 80% of the country feel gays should be able to openly serve in the military. Which is not surprising because it only makes perfect sense. But, I also bet the number will be close to 100% of Republican congressmen who oppose the lifting of the ban if it ever does come to a vote.

Whose side are they really on?