Both Democratic presidential candidates have said, if elected, they would require commanders to let homosexuals serve openly in their ranks.  The proposal quickly came under fire from soldiers, veterans and Pentagon officials - those who know the challenges of war firsthand.

"I think it's a bad idea," Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, a fellow Democrat and combat veteran, told the Boston Globe. "I'm not going tell you that if you had six cracker-jack people who had all kinds of experience and one person [declared they were gay] and the unit went crazy, that I'm going to junk all five.  It's just not practical."

When our nation's security and sovereignty are threatened, our military must be practical above all else.  We already ask our soldiers to fight and die for our country.  Certainly asking them to keep their sexual preferences private isn't a greater burden.

There is a way to maintain military readiness while allowing those of all sexual preferences to serve: the current policy of "don't ask / don't tell."  It allows homosexuals to wear the stars and stripes proudly without hurting our overall ability to fight. 

What would happen if we lifted the ban tomorrow, if we forced openly gay soldiers on the armed forces? "I think the country would be surprised by the number of officers who would walk," General Charles C. Krulack, who served as Marine Corps commandant until last year, told the New York Times.

Are we willing to lose a General Grant, Patton, or Powell over an unpopular, unworkable policy?  Of course not.  When we go to war, we should go to win, not to promote a narrow social agenda.

America can't afford to let politics dictate how we run the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines.  Don't ask / don't tell isn't broken.  Don't fix it.