Why McCain and Obama Duck the Issue of Gays in the Military
Political Perceptions9/21/2008
Sometimes, what doesn't happen in a presidential campaign is as important as what does.
Consider that neither presidential candidate has raised the question of whether openly homosexual soldiers and sailors should be able to serve in the military. Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain strongly disagree, yet for their own reasons neither has made it an issue.
Sen. McCain supports the current policy that bans openly gay people from serving in the military and prohibits officials from looking into a person's sexual orientation unless they raise it themselves.
Sen. Obama wants to scrap the policy. He told a gay publication he is interested in including transgender people as part of the legislation eliminating the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, although he conceded it's "going to be tough" to get that provision through Congress.
