President Obama tonight finally followed through on his pledge to the gay community to move toward the abolition of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in the military, which has forced the explusion of highly trained and talented people in the military because of their sexual preference.
It was good to see Defense Secretary Robert Gates applaud the President’s statement. The question is whether conservatives and Republicans will attempt to stop this reform by use of the filibuster tactic that is constantly threatened on so many issues, a tactic that Obama criticized in his State of the Union address.
Obama must work actively with both houses of Congress and make appeals to public opinion to counteract any attempt to foil his plan to do what many European countries have already done–open up military service to men and women despite their sexuality. Sexual preference has nothing to do with being a good soldier, and this step will help promote gay rights in other areas as well, a step long overdue!