Obama Signs Repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' Lauds Gays' Service to Country

Amid applause, cries of thanks and chants of "Yes we can!," President Obama on Wednesday repealed the U.S. military's "Don't ask, don't tell" policy, which for 17 years had banned gay service members from serving openly in the armed services. Proclaiming that the policy "will strengthen our national security," the president vowed that "no longer will tens of thousands of Americans in uniform be asked to live a lie. Or look over their shoulders in order to serve the country they love."

Paraphrasing Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen -- a leading advocate of repeal -- Obama added, "Our people sacrifice a lot for their country -- including their lives. None of them should have to sacrifice their integrity as well."

Introduced by Vice President Joe Biden -- who declared today "a good day. It's a real good day! This is a long time in coming, but I'm glad it's here" -- Obama signed the bill into law in a ceremony at the Department of the Interior. Speaking to an audience of lawmakers and service members, the president acknowledged the bipartisan support for the effort, and singled out Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), and Carl Levin (D-Mich.) in particular for their support of the legislation.

Acknowledging the prolonged congressional battle to repeal the policy, he said, "They held their shoulders to the wheel in the Senate," the president said. In the lower chamber, he thanked Reps. Susan Davis (D-Calif.), Barney Frank (D-Mass.), and Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.) for "keeping up the fight in the House."

The president also recognized the efforts of outgoing Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). He noted that the law was "the culmination of two of the most productive years in Congress" and said it was due in no small part to their work.

As to the timing on the actual process of repeal, Obama said he had "spoken to every one of the service chiefs and they are all committed implementing this change swiftly and efficiently." He promised, "We are not going to be dragging our feet to get this done."

The bill stipulates that DADT will only be discarded after the president, the secretary of defense, and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff certify that changing it will not hurt the armed services' readiness, morale or cohesion. After a 60-day review by Congress, the Pentagon is to develop procedures for ending it altogether, a process that could take months or years to complete.

Addressing the apprehension that some detractors of the bill had expressed regarding the change in defense policy, the president said he remained certain that the repeal would "strengthen our military readiness." He added, "People will look back on this moment and wonder why it was ever a source of controversy in the first place."

Obama acknowledged that this was a moment "two centuries in the making" and that there would "never be a full accounting of the contribution" of gay Americans in the military, saying, "Their service has been obscured in history." But he said that "at every turn, at every crossroads, we know that gay Americans fought just as hard, gave just as much to protect this nation and the ideals for which it stands."

To gay service members still serving in uniform, the president offered, "Your country needs you, your country wants you, and we will be honored to welcome you into the ranks of the finest military the world has ever known." Then, before signing the bill, he declared, "We are not a nation that says 'Don't ask, don't tell.' We are one that says 'Out of many, one.' "