Colin Powell Joins the Repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Chorus

by Michael Jones · 2010-02-03 10:27:00 UTC
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Colin PowellFormer Secretary of State Colin Powell has lent his voice to the growing chorus of military leaders calling for an end to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." And talk about coming full circle -- Gen. Powell was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff when "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was enacted in 1993. For Powell, what he thought worked 17 years ago does not work today.

"In the almost 17 years since the ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ legislation was passed, attitudes and circumstances have changed,” Powell said in his statement. He added that he fully supports the decision by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, to do away with the ban on gay, lesbian and bisexual soldiers.

Powell now becomes at least the third person who held the title of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to call for an end to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." He's joined by Admiral Mike Mullen, the current Chairman who spoke yesterday at U.S. Senate hearings on the subject, and Gen. John Shalikashvili, who said last week that the military is ready for openly gay soldiers.

So if Sen. John McCain is listening, that's three of the highest profile military members this country has known over the past two decades, all calling for a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Sen. McCain is waiting for senior leaders in the military to tell him that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" should go. How could he miss these three major names?

Photo credit: boboroshi

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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