ABOARD THE USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN IN THE ARABIAN SEA – Defense Secretary Robert Gates told sailors aboard this aircraft carrier that he didn’t think Congress would have time to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell.”
“I’d have to say I’m not particularly optimistic that they’re going to get this done, I would hope that they would,” he said during a town hall style meeting with sailors in one of the ship’s massive hangars.
It was the first time Gates had shared his pessimistic view since he and other top Pentagon officials testified before a Senate panel last week on repealing the controversial policy.
Congress has only two weeks left in the session and its legislative calendar is already chock full with the START nuclear treaty, Bush-era tax cuts and the annual spending bills, among other issues.
The White House on Friday sought to assure gay and lesbian advocates that it was pushing for repeal despite rumors that repeal was falling between the legislative cracks.
Gates reiterated his concern that if Congress doesn’t act on the repeal legislation, the federal courts will. That won’t give the Pentagon enough time to prepare and train the force for what all agree is a major change for the military.
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