"Yes"

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12 Jan 2009 01:48 pm

Gibbs says unequivocally that Obama will repeal DADT. The Military Times conducted a survey two weeks ago where ten percent of soldiers claimed they won't re-enlist if the ban on openly gay personnel is lifted. Joe tells everyone to calm down:

Even if the Military Times survey were to prove accurate (which I seriously doubt), the latest Department of Defense numbers from November indicate that all military branches are presently meeting or exceeding their recruitment and retention goals. With the economy the way it is, expect those numbers to balloon.

But this side-issue is burying the lede. We have a clear-cut commitment from the president-elect that gay servicemembers will no longer have to serve in fear of being outed, hounded, fired or persecuted. This is a huge step forward - because it is not about policing private individuals for prejudice, but about the government itself not discriminating irrationally against its own citizens. I've long wondered where the government gets off telling other people not to discriminate in employment when it does the same thing itself.

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