On the recordMay 27, 2010
The question has been not ``if'' we are going to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell but when and how. The Murphy amendment says that the policy will not be repealed. It will stay in effect until such time as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Secretary of Defense certify that nothing about that repeal will in any way undermine the security of the country, the efficiency of the Armed Forces or their effectiveness. By the way, one of the reasons those terrorism threats are more difficult is that we don't have enough Arabic speakers in the intelligence units of our Armed Forces. At least several dozen, perhaps several hundred, Arabic-speaking persons have been expelled from the Armed Forces because of their sexual orientation. That doesn't strike me as a particularly good way to protect national security.
