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VP Dick Cheney Reaffirms His Support of Repealing 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Law

February 14, 2010

(WASHINGTON, DC) – Former GOP Vice President Dick Cheney appearing on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday morning, reiterated his support for repealing the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law.

"Twenty years ago, the military were strong advocates of "don't ask/don't tell," when I was secretary of defense. I think things have changed significantly since then. I see that [...] Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has indicated his belief that we ought to support a change in the policy. So I think – my guess is the policy will be changed."

When queried whether or not he believes that DADT repeal is a good thing and that it was time to allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military, Cheney responded:

"I think the society has moved on. I think it's partly a generational question. I say, I'm reluctant to second-guess the military in this regard, because they're the ones that have got to make the judgment about how these policies affect the military capability of our – of our units, and that first requirement that you have to look at all the time is whether or not they're still capable of achieving their mission, and does the policy change, i.e., putting gays in the force, affect their ability to perform their mission? When the chiefs come forward and say, "We think we can do it," then it strikes me that it's – it's time to reconsider the policy. And I think Admiral Mullen said that."

Currently, Log Cabin Republicans v. United States of America, is the only direct challenge to the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' law. It is also the only contemporary legal challenge to this law to succeed at the district court level. One of the injured parties named in the case, Alexander Nicholson, is a former U.S. Army Human Intelligence Collector who fluent in multiple languages, including Arabic, and who was discharged under the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' law just six months after 9/11. Another injured party in the case, listed simply as 'John Doe,' currently serves in the Armed Forces and would face a discharge if his identity were revealed.