Guest blogged by Jon Ponder, Pensito Review.
In 1993, when he served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Pres. Clinton, Colin Powell was a leading advocate of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy that essentially allowed gay people to serve only if they agreed to stay in the closet. Now, in an interview with Fareed Zakaria on CNN, he says it’s time for the policy to be reviewed.
Transcript (at 03:10 on the Video):
POWELL: We definitely should reevaluate it. It’s been 15 years since we put in “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” which was a policy that became a law. I didn’t want it to become a law, but it became a law because Congress felt that strongly about it. But it’s been 15 years, and attitudes have changed. And I think it is time for the Congress, since it’s their law, to have a full review of it. And I’m quite sure that’s what Pres.-Elect Obama will want to do.
This indicates a radical change in Powell’s thinking on this issue. In 1993, he was in charge of implementing the military’s policy toward gays. Here are highlight of his position on the issue, as compiled by Emma Ruby-Sachs at Huffington Post:
According to the San Francisco Chronicle’s coverage of the Joint Chiefs of Staff testimony to Congress on DADT, Powell stated, “‘cohesive teams of warriors who bind so tightly’ that they can charge into machine gun fire could not be sustained with known homosexuals among their number.” He further testified that he would be troubled if a soldier of his showed up at a gay pride parade dressed in drag. (San Francisco Chronicle, July 21, 1993)…
Yesterday, Powell may have asked for a review of the discriminatory policy of the military. But he is still on record justifying the exclusion of LGBT people, equating sexual orientation with lifestyle choices and is personally responsible for the termination of 9,488 employees under DADT since 1993.
It was disconcerting back then that someone as worldly as Powell was such an adamant homophobe, especially since he belonged to a minority that had been the object of equally vile discrimination by the military in his lifetime. Like Nixon, the old red-baiter, engineering the rapprochement with Communist China, as DADT’s former champion, Powell is in a unique position to lead the charge to end this illogical, divisive and discriminatory policy.
With his endorsement of Obama, and in this and other recent interviews, Powell seems to be seeking redemption. Taking on the role of the Republican militarist who makes the case to the public for ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” would be a start.
We all should learn from General Powell’s example of evaluation and reevaluation. There has been too much emphasis on sexual orientation and too little on character in this policy to ban gays. I applaud General Powell for this positive change.
”We all should learn from General Powell’s example”
Whaaaa??!
This is another profile of courage from someone who used to work for Bush but never spoke their mind when it could have made a difference.
Powell should just disappear off to the sunset and let us forget about him. This attempt to rehabilitate himself for the Obama era is getting my nerves!
Powell lied his head off to the UN in order to get us into Iraq, and he knew he was lying, going against his conscience, AND THE CONSTITUTION, to follow orders like a good soldier, no doubt, but I don’t care what he says about anything ever again.
He’s only trying to restore his reputation.
After he figures out how to restore the over a million dead and the millions who’ve been damaged for life, then maybe I’ll think about listening to, or respecting, a word out of his mouth.
Agent 99
RIGHT!
Powell’s decisions remind me about Obama’s Courage !