On Meet The Press today, Gen. David Petraeus refused to explicitly give his personal opinion about whether Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) should be repealed, but suggested that the time may be right. He said that he’s “not sure” that most servicemembers would care about fighting alongside openly gay men and women, and that he has personally done so without any problems. Petraeus also cited Gen. Colin Powell’s recent announcement that he believes now is the time to repeal DADT, and said that he supports Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ plan to review the policy:
GREGORY: Do you think soldiers on the ground in the field care one way or the other if their comrade in arms are gay or lesbian?
PETRAEUS: I’m not sure that they do. … You heard Gen. Powell who was the chairman when the policy was implemented, had a big hand in that, who said that yes, indeed, the earth has revolved around the sun a number of times since that period 15 months ago. You have heard a variety of anecdotal input. We have experienced certainly in the CIA and the FBI — I know, I served, in fact, in combat with individuals who were gay and who were lesbian in combat situations. Frankly, you know, over time you said, hey, how’s this guy shooting or how is her analysis or what have you?
Watch it:
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R), also on Meet The Press, said he supports DADT. He claimed that “the military community” believes the policy “has worked,” so “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.”