Susan Davis: “I think that several of our colleagues want to really put this issue aside, but I think it has had an impact. I spoke to…”

“I think that several of our colleagues want to really put this issue aside, but I think it has had an impact. I spoke to Sergeant Cynthia Hanna this morning. Sergeant Hanna works for the San Diego Police Department and is a Marine Corps veteran. Like many women in Iraq right now, Sergeant Hanna was an integral part of the fight. But let me tell you where her fight is now. Her fight is on the streets of San Diego. I thought Sergeant Hanna summed up the issue best. Not once did she talk about whether this is a Democrat or Republican issue. She said, ``The desire to serve has never been about women's equality to the exclusion of readiness considerations. The struggle,'' the struggle, ``is about the privilege of serving one's country without artificial barriers based solely on gender. Women's struggle for a place in the military has been about seeking the full rights and responsibilities of citizenship. The struggle is about women being judged by the same standards as men in any job for which they can qualify. It has always been about being able to pursue a career based on individual qualifications rather than unrelated stereotypes.''”