Hearings On Nomination Of Gen. Clifford Stanley to DoD Post Likely To Be Crucial To Debate On DADT

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway wants to hear from his generals as to what they think of ending the law known as Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Perhaps he should consider asking the man who will soon outrank him, at least in civilian terms. Retired General Clifford Stanley has been nominated to be the Undersecretary of Defense in charge of Personnel and Readiness. This makes General Stanley the man in charge of enforcing DADT, and he is a man who has been endorsed by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.

[nhjeff]

Gen. Stanley served for thirty-three years in the Marine Corps, and was the first African-American to command a regiment. He retired in 2002 as a two star general.

Let's hope that, unlike General Powell, General Stanley is capable of compassion and that he applies the lessons of discrimination in his own life to other minorities as well.

[aRodeojock]

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“The Senator’s view is that this will be the hearing to watch and a critical prelude to the public debate about ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’”

I'm not sure I understand why we think this has any bearing on public sentiment. The overwhelming majority of Americans already believe that this draconian law should be repealed. It's the military, the President, and the Congress that are dragging their collective heels.