Nelson will back ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ deal

The White House and Congress struck a deal on Monday that would allow a vote on repealing the policy against service by openly gay men and lesbians in the military, but would delay implementing the decision until the Pentagon concludes its review of the measure to ensure it would be feasible.

{mosads}Nelson, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the deal respects the Pentagon review while allowing Congress to nix a bad policy.

“I will support the Lieberman compromise because it removes politics from the process,” Nelson said in a statement. “It bases implementation of the repeal on the Pentagon’s review and a determination by our military leaders that repeal is consistent with military readiness and effectiveness, and that the Pentagon has prepared the necessary regulations to make the changes.”

The Nebraska senator’s vote was seen as key for securing passage of the amendment with the repeal language out of the Armed Services panel.

Nelson made a vigorous case in support for repeal.

“I don’t believe that most Nebraskans want to continue a policy that not only encourages but requires people to be deceptive and to lie,” he said. “The ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy does just that. It also encourages suspicion and senior officers to look the other way. In a military which values honesty and integrity, this policy encourages deceit.”

House Republicans appear set to mount a defense of the Clinton-era policy in the lower chamber. They appear to have the support of House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), who helped draft the measure in the 1990s. 

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen and Defense Secretary Robert Gates have both said they support repeal, but Gates said this week he would prefer that the Pentagon conclude its review before any vote.