Telling About “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

ABC News’ Rick Klein reports: Fresh off a pair of presidential debates where Democrats and Republicans split sharply over the issue of gays in the military, the 2008 candidates are about to hear much more about "don’t ask, don’t tell."

Next Tuesday, the Human Rights Campaign is kicking off a nation-wide tour to press for the military’s "don’t ask, don’t tell" policy to be overturned. The policy, put into place early in the Clinton administration, prohibits gays and lesbians from serving openly in the armed forces but allows them to serve if they keep their sexual orientation private.

The first event will be in politically crucial Iowa, and will feature the first US troop injured in the Iraq war — he came out as gay after receiving a medical discharge — and an Arab linguist who was discharged because of his sexual orientation. Future events are planned for New Hampshire — home of the first primary contests in the nation — as well as Arizona, Florida, California, and Washington state.

All 18 declared presidential candidates were asked at this week’s debates whether they would overturn "don’t ask, don’t tell." The eight Democrats indicated that they would, with some citing the hundreds of language specialists who have been forced out of the military under the policy.

All 10 Republicans, however, said they would leave the existing policy in place. "This is not the time to deal with disruptive issues like this," said former mayor Rudolph Giuliani, R-N.Y., who is perhaps the Republican candidate who has been most supportive of gay rights.

The effort to raise the issue’s importance in the presidential race comes as some Democrats mount the first serious push to overturn the policy since it was enacted in 1993. Though supporters of reversing "don’t ask, don’t tell," are realistic about how difficult it will be to muster the votes to change the policy, they’re hoping that congressional hearings this year will begin to change some minds.