Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee
has joined former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty in calling for the
reinstatement of “Don't Ask, Don't Tell.”
In January, Pawlenty told the American
Family Association's (AFA) Bryan Fischer that as president he would
work to reinstate the law that bans gay and bisexual troops from
serving openly.
On his radio program, Fischer asked
Pawlenty if he would sign a bill that would bring back the gay ban.
“I've been a public supporter of
maintaining 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' and I would support reinstating
it as well,” Pawlenty said.
Now a second Republican considering a
run at the White House has backed the idea.
When
asked by the AFA's One News Now if he would support
reinstatement, Huckabee answered: “I would – because that's
really what the military wants. There's been some talk that the
military is fine with having same-sex orientation people. But if you
really surveyed the combat troops, that is not at all the case.”
The former Baptist minister added that
soldiers, not politicians, should decide the issue.
“I don't think that these are
decisions that politicians should make,” he said. “These are
decisions that soldiers should make. And when the soldiers in the
foxholes make the decisions, they choose something different – and
we should listen to them.”