Repealing 'Don't Ask' Is Typical Liberal Bunk

President Obama's decision to press ahead with repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell is wrong on several fronts, writes William Kristol. For starters, "it would be reckless to require the military to carry out a major sociological change, one contrary to the preferences of a large majority of its members, as it fights two wars," he writes in the Weekly Standard. It typifies liberal thinking, he says: Charge blindly ahead on the abstract notion of doing "the right thing," despite the consequences.

What's more, basic rights don't necessarily apply in the military, which out of necessity puts restrictions on female soldiers, the disabled, the old, and the near-sighted. "Advocates of repeal will say sexual orientation is irrelevant to military performance in a way these attributes are not. But this is not clearly true given the peculiar characteristics of military service," he adds, without elaborating. (More gay rights stories.)