Washington Post
Editorial
September 16, 2010
The Senate will have a historic and long overdue opportunity next week to repeal the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
This should not be a difficult choice. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have called for repeal of "don't ask, don't tell," as has President Obama. Recent polls show that nearly 80 percent of the American people also favor repeal. The House and the Senate Armed Services Committee voted this year to abolish the Clinton-era measure and gave the Pentagon until Dec. 1 to release a plan to implement a repeal. The president, Mr. Gates and Adm. Mullen would have to certify that implementation of the repeal would not hurt recruitment, readiness or retention. But the plan will be meaningless unless the Senate also acts -- and soon.
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