Obama wants progressive plan for homosexuals in the military

Presidential hopeful Barack Obama will not require his top military commanders to oppose the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy on gays in the military, he said in an interview with a prominent gay magazine. The Democratic senator from Illinois told the Advocate that he would push for the elimination of the controversial Clinton-era personnel policy, but said that his primary test of fitness for the joint chiefs of staff would be an assessment of their national security strengths. Under the 1994 policy, which was President Bill Clinton's effort to take a step toward full inclusion of homosexuals in the military, the military allows gays and lesbians to serve so long as they do not expose their sexual preference or exhibit homosexual behaviour. The policy has come under increasing scrutiny of late because US armed forces are overtaxed with commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan. Gay groups and liberal politicians question why homosexuals should be forbidden to serve openly in the military, especially when the armed services are in desperate need of skilled personnel. "Obviously, there are so many issues that a member of the joint chiefs has to deal with, and my paramount obligation is to get the best possible people to keep America safe," he told the magazine. "There's increasing recognition within the armed forces that this is a counterproductive strategy – you 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," Obama told the Advocate."That doesn't make us more safe, and 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."Republican nominee John McCain, the only candidate to have served in the military, opposes repealing the policy. In a June debate he said it would be a "terrific mistake" to reopen the issue because the military is performing well. In the interview, Obama defended himself against accusations that he has shut out the gay press, arguing that every facet of the news media complains of a lack of access to him. "The gay press may feel like I'm not giving them enough love. But basically, all press feels that way at all times," he said. "Obviously, when you've got limited amount of time, you've got so many outlets. We tend not to do a whole bunch of specialized press. We try to do general press for a general readership." SOURCE OF THIS STORY