Obama won't repeal 'don't ask' on his own
Nedra PicklerDemocrat Barack Obama said if elected president he would not try to repeal the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on his own.
Obama said in an interview to run in gay publications Thursday that he wants to work with military leaders to build a consensus on removing the ban on openly gay service members in the armed forces. He said that wouldn't be accomplished by attaching a signing statement to a military spending bill, a process that President Bush has used to set other military policies.
"I want to make sure that when we revert 'don't ask, don't tell,' it's gone through a process and we've built a consensus or at least a clarity of what my expectations are so that it works. My first obligation as the president is to make sure that I keep the American people safe and that our military is functioning effectively," Obama said. "Although I have consistently said I would repeal 'don't ask, don't tell,' I believe that the way to do it is make sure that we are working through a process, getting the Joint Chiefs of Staff clear in terms of what our priorities are going to be."
"Don't ask, don't tell" is intended to keep the military from asking recruits their sexual orientation. In 1993, President Clinton implemented the policy, a compromise after he was unable to make good on his campaign pledge to open the military to gays.
Obama's interview was with Mark Segal, publisher of the Philadelphia Gay News, on behalf of the Gay History Project, a coalition of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender publications. Republican presidential nominee John McCain did not respond to an interview request, Segal said.
Obama also declined to commit to have his attorney general support a lawsuit against the Defense of Marriage Act, which denies federal recognition of same-sex marriages and gives states the right to refuse to recognize such marriages. Obama said he's not sure the 1996 law would be overturned by the courts and he prefers a legislative solution.