Political Quotes

“Mr. President, over the past few months, we have heard a variety of justifications for why now is not the time to repeal don't ask, don't tell. Opponents of repeal have said that we should wait for our military leaders to call for change. Well, in the past year, the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff--the two highest- ranking military leaders in America--have told us now is the time for Congress to act. We have been told that we should wait for the results of the Pentagon study on the effects of ending don't ask, don't tell and recommendations for implementing its repeal. We now have the results of that study. It concludes that the risks associated with overturning don't ask, don't tell are low, with thorough preparation. The repeal bill before us provides for just such preparation. A survey included in the Pentagon study shows that a substantial majority of servicemembers--about 70 percent--predict little to no negative effects from allowing gay men and lesbians to openly in our military. Rather than listen to our top military leaders and rank and file servicemembers, opponents of repeal now want to move the goal posts. After months of exhaustive study and debate, they now say they want a survey that asks different questions and to hear from different leaders. They say the 103-question survey, 95 forums, and 140 focus groups included in the Pentagon study were not sufficient to gauge the affects of repeal.…”