American Morning
General challenges Obama on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
(CNN) – A three-star Army general is feeling the heat from his superiors after publicly challenging the president on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," saying a repeal of the military policy on gays would be "ill-advised."
So is there a price to be paid for breaking ranks with the commander-in-chief on this controversial issue? Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has the report.
Police in South Dakota out lesbian Air Force staff sergeant
(CNN) – She kept a secret for nine years. Jene Newsome didn't tell anyone in the Air Force she was a lesbian. Then, just as momentum was building to repeal the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, Newsome was outed by a third party.
Her local police department in South Dakota outed her after they saw an Iowa marriage certificate in her home. Now discharged from the Air Force, Newsome and the American Civil Liberties Union have filed a complaint against the Rapid City Police Department, saying the officers violated her privacy.
Meanwhile, the police department maintains they were following routine procedure. Jene Newsome joined us on Wednesday's American Morning via Skype to share her story.
Gates unveils 'don't ask, don't tell' plan
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/02/02/gates.mullen.gi.art.jpg caption="Defense Secretary Robert Gates (L) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen (R) participate in a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on February 2, 2010."]
Washington (CNN) - The Pentagon has taken the first steps toward repealing the military's controversial "don't ask, don't tell" policy regarding gay and lesbian service members, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday.
Laying the groundwork for a repeal of the policy will take more than a year, Gates said. In the interim, however, the Defense Department will start enforcing the policy "in a fairer manner," he told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
President Obama called for a repeal of the policy during last week's State of the Union address.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen also endorsed a repeal Tuesday, telling the committee it is his "personal belief" that "allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly [in the military] would be the right thing to do."
"For me, personally, it comes down to integrity," he said.
"The question before us is not whether the military prepares to make this change, but how we best prepare for it," Gates told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "We have received our orders from the commander in chief and we are moving out accordingly."
But the ultimate decision on whether to repeal the policy, he acknowledged, rests with Congress.
Ending 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
According to Pentagon sources, Defense Secretary Robert Gates is prepared to ask for up to a year to study the best way to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
Today's hearing on Capitol Hill comes on the heels of one key sentence in the president's State of the Union address last week.
This year, I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are. It's the right thing to do.
We were joined on Tuesday's American Morning by Alex Nicholson, the executive director of Servicemembers United, an advocacy group that opposes the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Nicholson is a former Army intelligence officer who was dismissed for being gay.
Read more: Plan to abandon 'don't ask, don't tell' to go before panel
The cost of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
By Carol Costello and Ronni Berke
Gay advocates are hoping that on Tuesday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates will unveil a new approach to the current policy of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which was put in place in 1993. More than 13,500 service members have been discharged under the law since 1994, according to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, an advocacy group seeking its repeal.
Critics say there are unseen and stiff costs involved in simply applying the law. The Government Accountability Office says "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" cost taxpayers $190.5 million dollars over its first ten years. However, a blue ribbon panel commissioned by the Palm Center at the University of California at Santa Barbara faulted the GAO figure as too low. The panel, which included former Defense Secretary William Perry, put the price tag at $363.7 million – factoring in the cost to recruit, train and then discharge gay troops.
"Repealing the ban would save money in the long run, absolutely," said Nathaniel Frank, senior fellow at the Palm Center. "We've spent roughly half a billion dollars kicking out competent gay people that we badly need just under 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.'" But some who support the current law say the cost doesn't justify repealing it.
"The discharge of 13,000 or so people is miniscule in comparison to the overall administrative burden the military pays every year – discharging 280,000 people a year," says retired Lt. Col. Bob Maginnis, who works as a Pentagon consultant.
Related: Sources: Joint Chiefs set to review 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy
Gay soldier: Obama's 'don't ask' pledge a reprinted IOU
Editor’s note: Lt. Daniel Choi is an Iraq veteran and a West Point alumnus. He is facing discharge under "don't ask, don't tell," the 1993 law that bars openly gay and lesbian people from serving in the military. An estimated 65,000 LGBT Americans serve in the armed forces, according to the Urban Institute.
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/05/11/art.dan.choi.jpg caption= "Lt. Daniel Choi is an Iraq combat veteran and a West Point graduate with a degree in Arabic."]
By Lt. Daniel Choi, Special to CNN
As we watched our president speak so eloquently and thoughtfully about our country, many heard the resounding theme: "Jobs, jobs, jobs."
He spoke about the economy, then our national security, and then started speaking about our values. I wondered: "Is he going to address 'don't ask, don't tell'?"
We heard the buzz in the past days that he was going to mention it. I felt the speech was nearing the end and I was becoming a bit uncertain. And throughout this past year of coming out, standing trial for telling the truth, and fighting my discharge, I have become accustomed to this feeling of uncertainty.
This past year's journey has been a roller coaster for me. After returning home from Iraq and beginning my first love relationship, I realized that I could not lie anymore. Falling in love made me finally see why relationships make us more complete and more secure; I also began to understand my soldiers and their families.
As a leader, I always accepted the fact that my subordinates needed a support system at home, but now it became more than theory. The support and strength I got from my love relationship proved what I learned all along. It made me a better leader and soldier to finally understand true love.
So why should I lie about that?
When I came out publicly in March there was a great deal of uncertainty. Since I knew the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy would only require a statement as evidence to fire me, I was forced to choose: morals and honesty or career and rank?
But since my soldiers, peers and superiors knew about me being gay and there was no evidence of discomfort or chaos in my unit, I figured the military may indeed keep this Arabic linguist and West Point educated infantry officer.
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