Posted on 05/27/2010 4:22:25 AM PDT by stan_sipple
Sen. Ben Nelson said Wednesday he'll vote for legislation to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy prohibiting gays from serving openly in the military.
Nelson said he has decided to support a compromise plan to repeal the 1993 law while leaving it to the military to determine how and when to implement the change.
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is awaiting the results of a DOD review before deciding how to proceed.
Nelson said he discussed the issue with Gates this week.
The defense secretary said he preferred Congress wait until the review is completed, Nelson said, but also said he "can live with this compromise."
Nelson announced he'll cast his vote in favor of repeal when the Senate Armed Services Committee acts on the legislation this week.
His vote "could prove crucial" when the sharply divided committee votes, The Associated Press reported.
Nelson's decision "likely put repeal proponents over the top in their quest to end the ban," according to Politico.
The Democratic senator said he believes most Nebraskans do not want to continue a policy that encourages people to be deceptive or lie.
"The military values honesty and integrity," Nelson said. The current policy encourages deceit, he said.
Meanwhile, Republican Sen. Mike Johanns said he will vote against repeal of the policy.
"I oppose repealing 'don't ask, don't' tell in part because the military is currently fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan," Johanns said in a written statement.
"I think anything that puts more stress on that system is really the wrong course of action," Johanns said.
Nelson said the compromise "removes politics from the process," distancing the decision from the 2010 general elections in November and leaving implementation decisions to the Pentagon.
Military leaders will determine whether repeal is "consistent with military readiness and effectiveness," Nelson said.
Both Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have endorsed repeal of the current policy.
Reach Don Walton at 473-7248 or at dwalton@journalstar.com.
Maybe Ben should come out of the closet.
Ben Nelson, the biggest little whore in Nebraska.
How does it feel to be Larry Sinclair’s surrogate, Ben?
10% Unemployment, a stagnat economy in crises, a massive oil spill in the Gulf, this years budget still to be created and this nonsense is what Congress is spending it’s time on?
“Leaving it to the military to determine how and when to implement” is the right thing to do so why not leave it to the military whether DADT is changed?
The Democrats are determined to undermine our country.
I heard that the big problem with “gays” in the military is that their league includes transgender people who want to wear uniforms of their opposite sex.
Good point they prob want to be able to choose which genders barracks to live in too
with the cornhusker kickback and this incident i hope we see Nelly for what he is
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