''Don't Ask Don't Tell'' Hearing Held On Capitol Hill

From gays in the clergy to gays in the Military..There was a tense question and answer session today on Capitol Hill regarding the military's policy toward gays serving in the military.President Obama has called on congress to repeal the "don't ask don't tell" law.Fox news correspondent Craig Boswell has more on the sometimes emotional testimony.The chairman of the joint chiefs of staff says gays "should be allowed" to "openly" serve in the military.Mullen says: "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."Less than a week after president Obama called on congress to repeal the "don't ask don't tell" policy the defense secretary also says he supports a change... But only after a panel spends a year studying the potential impact on us troops.Gates says: "The question before us is not whether the military prepares to make this change, but how we best prepare for it."That statement irritated senator John McCain who reminded secretary gates that congress will ultimately decide the fate of the law.McCain says: "At this moment of immense hardships for our armed services, we should not be seeking to overturn Don't Ask, Don't Tell."However, Michigan senator, Carl Levin says more than 13-thousand troops have been discharged since the law was enacted in 1993.Levin says: "I did not find the arguments that were used to justify Don't Ask, Don't Tell convincing when they took effect in 1993, and they're less so now."The tense hearing came only minutes after both witnesses testified for about 3 hours about the defense department's budget.it's a 700 billion dollar budget request including 159 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.The debate surrounding the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Policy picks up next week when Senators resume hearings. In Washington Craig Boswell FOX news."



 


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