A majority of Americans and a plurality
of Republicans support repeal of “Don't Ask, Don't Tell.”
The military ended its 18-year-old
policy that banned gay and bisexual troops from serving openly on
September 20, nine months after Congress repealed the law with the
help of few Republicans.
According to a new CBS
poll released on Thursday, 68 percent of Americans support the
move, including 50 percent who said they “strongly” favored
repeal.
The survey also found a plurality of
Republicans favor repeal.
Forty-eight percent of Republicans
surveyed said they favor “strongly” or “somewhat” the open
service of gay troops in the military, while 41 percent remain
opposed. Only 12 percent of Republicans “strongly” oppose gay
men and lesbians serving openly in the military.
However, a majority of candidates vying
for the GOP presidential nomination support “Don't Ask, Don't
Tell.” And three GOP candidates have vowed to reinstate the
policy, including former Pennsylvania Senator Rick
Santorum, Minnesota Rep. Michele
Bachmann and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Herman Cain
once called for reinstatement of the policy but he later backtracked,
saying
undoing repeal would create a distraction.