Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski and
John Ensign are hinting that they might support repeal of “Don't
Ask, Don't Tell” when it comes up for a vote after the Thanksgiving
break.
Ensign signaled his willingness to
support repeal of the 17-year-old law that prescribes discharge for
gay and bisexual service members who do not remain celibate or
closeted in a letter to constituents, the Washington Post
reported.
“It is my firm belief that Americans,
regardless of their sexual orientation, should be able to fight and
risk their lives in defense of this great nation,” the 52-year-old
Nevada senator wrote. “As a nation currently engaged in combat in
Afghanistan and Iraq, the focus of all decisions affecting military
readiness, recruiting and retention, and unit cohesion should be to
maximize the success of ongoing operations.”
Ensign added, however, that he's still
on the fence and wants to read a Pentagon report on repeal due
December 1 before committing either way. Details
of the report leaked to the press show that more than 70 percent of
respondents to a questionnaire sent to more than 40,000 active-duty
and reserve troops over the summer said the effect of lifting the gay
ban would be positive, mixed or nonexiste.
Alaska Senator Murkowski noted the
report in talking about the issue on Thursday.
“I have said that I would work to
make sure that as long as it is supported by the troops, as long as
it doesn't hurt the performance or the morale, or the recruitment –
these are all things we have to take into consideration – I think
we will see that play out in this report,” she
told Alaska-based CBS affiliate KTVA. “If in fact 'Don't Ask,
Don't Tell' is included in the Defense Authorization Act and we get
to the point where we can move that bill through – I would not
oppose the Defense Authorization Act because the 'Don't Ask, Don't
Tell' repeal of it is included in it.”
Senator Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), the
bill's sponsor in the Senate, predicted that repeal would pass with
more than the needed 60 votes, and added that Senators Susan Collins
of Maine and Richard Lugar of Indiana backed the effort.