Two generals and an admiral, all retired, are among the most senior uniformed officers to criticize the "don't ask, don't tell" policy for gays serving their country in the military, the New York Times reports. In a joint statement, they called the policy ineffective and charged it "undermines the military's core values: truth, honor, dignity, respect and integrity."
Oh, and by the way, all three are now openly gay.
In terms of politics, Bush clearly won't touch the "gays in the
military" issue before the election. But in a second term, he'd
have the clout to change the policy if he were of a mind to do so,
and Don Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney have given indications in the past
that they'd be supportive (while Colin Powell, who favors the ban,
may be gone). However, it's certain that Howard Dean would have
even less clout than Clinton had with the military (and not just
over capitulation in Iraq, but the whole "how I spent months skiing
while enjoying my bad-back draft deferment" thing), and would
ignite a firestorm if he tried to alter the ban.