Former Joint Chiefs Chair Flips On DADT

Calling "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" a "useful speed bump that allowed temperatures to cool for a period of time while the culture continued to evolve," General John Shalikashvili, formerly Bill Clinton's chairman of the Joint Chiefs Of Staff, the top military rank in the nation, has called for the repeal of DADT in an op-ed column (registration required) in today's New York Times.

A former foe of gays in the military, Shalikashvili says, "I now believe that if gay men and lesbians served openly in the United States military, they would not undermine the efficacy of the armed forces. Our military has been stretched thin by our deployments in the Middle East, and we must welcome the service of any American who is willing and able to do the job."

The key words, of course, are "stretched thin". Desperate times, desperate measures. Still, this is good news for the movement.