He better Google how well the gays in the military issue played with Clinton when he was first elected.
Obama: I'll end don't-ask, don't-tell By Michael Saul
Daily News Political Correspondent
Friday, April 11th 2008, 4:00 AM
Barack Obama said he's confident he could end the "don't ask, don't tell" policy for gays in the military, but he won't make it a criteria for serving on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
"I would never make this a litmus test for the Joint Chiefs of Staff," Obama said during an interview with The Advocate, a gay publication.
"What I want are members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who are making decisions based on what strengthens our military and what is going to make us safer, not ideology," he said.
Obama said ending the policy, which was instituted during Bill Clinton's administration, is something he could "reasonably" get done if elected.
"There's increasing recognition within the armed forces that this is a counterproductive strategy - ya know, we're spending large sums of money to kick highly qualified gays or lesbians out of our military, some of whom possess specialties like Arab-language capabilities that we desperately need. That doesn't make us more safe," he said.
Obama said he is interested in including transgendered people as part of the legislation eliminating "don't ask, don't tell," but he said it's "going to be tough" to get that provision through Congress.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/04/11/2008-04-11_obama_ill_end_dontask_donttell-1.html
