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Sen. John McCain: Repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
  1. Signatures
    924 out of 1,000
    Petitioning
    1. Communications Director, Sen. John McCain (+ 1 other)
      Petitioning
      close
      • Communications Director, Sen. John McCain (Brooke Buchanan)
      • Senator (John McCain)
  2. Created By
    Michael Jones
    Boston, MA
About this Petition Petition Letter

Four years ago, Sen. John McCain said that the day military leadership comes to him and says we ought to change "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," that the country should consider getting rid of the policy. That day was yesterday, when Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke before the U.S. Senate.

Adm. Mullen, the highest ranking U.S. Armed Forces officer in the country, told the U.S. Senate, "No matter how I look at the issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens. For me, personally, it comes down to integrity -- theirs as individuals and ours as an institution."

But instead of following through on his promise of four years ago to consider repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" once he heard from senior military members, Sen. John McCain has become one of the loudest champions of the current policy, which has kicked out nearly 14,000 troops from the Armed Services, and has prevented thousands of other well-qualified troops from entering.

Demand that Sen. McCain stick to his promise of four years ago and work with senior military leaders to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Anything less, like Adm. Mullen says, compromises the integrity of our troops and the integrity of our military as an institution.

Recent Signatures

Follow Through With '06 Comments and Repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Dear Sen. McCain

Four years ago, you said that once senior members of the military came to you requesting that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" be repealed, that you would fully consider supporting an elimination of the policy that currently kicks gay and lesbian soldiers out of the military, and prevents openly gay and lesbian recruits from joining.

But on February 2, Admiral Mike Mullen spoke before the U.S. Senate, and he said that the time has come to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Adm. Mullen said that it hurts the integrity of the military to keep such a law in place, and that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" reinforces a culture of lying and deception -- both of which are beneath the U.S. military.

Adm. Mullen is the highest ranking U.S. Armed Forces officer in the country. Again, four years ago you said that when senior military officials starting to talk about repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," you would start to seriously consider a repeal.

But now, you're one of the leading Senators opposed to moving forward with a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." During the hearing where Adm. Mullen and Defense Secretary Robert Gates testified about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," you called the policy "imperfect but effective." That is in stark contrast to the words of Adm. Mullen. It also means that your definition of effective centers around 14,000 well-qualified soldiers being removed from the military, at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Please, Sen. McCain, follow through with your 2006 promise to listen to senior military officials when they call for a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." As Adm. Mullen said during the hearing, "Allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be the right thing to do."

[Your name]

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