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Don’t rush ‘don’t ask’

As a candidate, President Barack Obama suggested he would work to overturn the law governing gays in the military as well as the policy that spun out of the law, known as “don’t ask, don’t tell.”

The law states that homosexual conduct or credible claims of homosexuality are grounds for separation. “Don’t ask” speaks to what the law leaves unsaid: Gay service members who remain celibate and keep their sexual orientation private may serve, and commanders are prohibited from asking service members about their sexual orientation.

The policy was born early in President Bill Clinton’s tenure; some 16 years later, a new president and a new group of chiefs are wrestling with the question still. But the rancor is less. And it should stay that way.

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, says he has discussed “don’t ask, don’t tell” with Obama, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and his fellow chiefs. And while he’s customarily guarded about the nature of those talks, he is to be applauded for pursuing a thoughtful approach.

In a May 27 interview with Military Times, Mullen said he has urged “a measured and deliberate” pace to avoid an emotional, partisan fight with service members caught in the middle.

His counsel is that now is not the time for such distractions.

That’s advice worth listening to.