Evan Bayh

Our national security has not been harmed by the integration of the Armed Forces.

It's time now to allow men and women to serve their country and to do so without having to conceal their sexual orientation.

If there are Americans who are willing to lay down their lives for our country and make that kind of sacrifice, and we can enable them to be that kind of patriot without harming our national security, not only is it better for them, it is…

There's something fundamentally wrong about that. If we can pursue our Nation's security without putting them or us as a country institutionalizing hypocrisy, I think America is stronger, we are a more just and secure country.

I believe is discriminatory. Times have changed since then and it seems to me we should respond to those changes, changes in the attitude of our people, the acceptance of gay and lesbian people in the workplace.

In all likelihood there were gay Americans serving at Valley Forge, there were gay Americans at Gettysburg, there were gay Americans on Normandy Beach, there are gay Americans serving in Iraq and Afghanistan today.

We should not discriminate against them. We should honor that service, honor that patriotism, the way we do the service and patriotism of any American who is willing to put on the uniform of this country.

We are paying a macroeconomic price for the delay in resolving this issue.

If they become significantly affected by this, does that present a systemic risk of some kind?

I had no idea until I was talking to Senator Bennet yesterday about his father's long commitment to public service.

This is outrageous. How can this possibly happen?