Admiral Mike Mullen's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Eloquence

Today marked the first Congressional hearings on gays and lesbians in the military in 17 years. And while the general consensus among gay rights activists is concern over the fact that a repeal could be another year away, there were some powerful moments during the hearings.

Perhaps none more so than when Admiral Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was given floor.

Nearly two decades ago "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was put into law, enshrining one of the more blatantly discriminatory policies at play on a federal level. Since the time it was passed, close to 14,000 soldiers have been discharged because of their sexual orientation, and thousands upon thousands of well-qualified individuals were told that they couldn't enter the U.S. military because they were openly gay.

That's a pretty stiff wall of oppression. And though actions speak louder than words, Admiral Mike Mullen's comments today seemed to be a game changer, striking at the foundation of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." It's not every day, after all, that the highest ranking military official in the entire Armed Forces affirms the dignity of gay and lesbian Americans.

Speaking in his personal capacity, much to the chagrin of Sen. John McCain, Adm. Mullen said that he saw no reason why the U.S. military should discriminate against gays and lesbians. In fact, he said it was counter to the integrity of the military to keep "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in place.

""Mr. Chairman, speaking for myself and myself only, it is my personal belief that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be the right thing to do," Mullen said. "No matter how I look at the issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens. For me, personally, it comes down to integrity -- theirs as individuals and ours as an institution."

Sen. John McCain responded to that statement with disgust. Sen. Jeff Sessions responded to it with mistrust. And Sen. Saxby Chambliss responded to it with a dose of homophobic insanity. Clearly these three politicians haven't learned much since 1993.

Adm. Mullen's comments certainly speak to an eloquence that's all too easy to miss in the debate over "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Yes, the ban is partly about allowing gay men and women to serve, but it's also about whether the military wants to be an institution that not only tolerates but requires lying.

But Adm. Mullen's comments do something more, too. They provide cover for more military officials to speak out against the ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual troops. And that may prove to be their biggest value.

Photo credit: Joint Chiefs of Staff