The WaPo reports:
A Pentagon study group has concluded that the military can lift the ban on gays serving openly in uniform with only minimal and isolated incidents of risk to the current war efforts, according to two people familiar with a draft of the report, which is due to President Obama on Dec. 1.
More than 70 percent of respondents to a survey sent to active-duty and reserve troops over the summer said the effect of repealing the "don't ask, don't tell" policy would be positive, mixed or nonexistent, said two sources familiar with the document. The survey results led the report's authors to conclude that objections to openly gay colleagues would drop once troops were able to live and serve alongside them.
I don't expect the reactionary right to change its tune on this regardless of the evidence, but this report might still be enough to break loose a few Republican votes for repeal of DADT in the lame duck session.
Adam Serwer compares rhetoric to reality:
While most of the military leadership has signaled their support for ending the military's discriminatory "don't ask, don't tell" policy prohibiting gays and lesbians from serving openly, the Marine leadership has consistently been opposed. The previous Marine commandant, James Conway, estimated that "90 percent" of marines would be opposed to ending DADT, and his successor Gen. James Amos has expressed opposition as well. ... The branch of the service most opposed are the Marines, although they're still in the minority at 40 percent, far from the ludicrous 90 percent predicted by Conway.
(Photo: Dan Choi, who was discharged for being gay, stands outside the Times Square Armed Forces Recruiting Center after he reenlisted in the U.S. Army October 20, 2010 in New York City. His paperwork was later shredded by the Army. By Mario Tama/Getty Images)