“Fiano was, as were we, opposed to the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. But she’s right to call out people like the ‘expert’ commentator from the professional right who suggested that as many as half a million service members might quit as a result of repeal. And she’s right to lambaste the writer—a self-proclaimed admirer of the U.S. military—who argued that he now has no choice but to ‘actively encourage men and women to leave—in droves.’

“Fortunately, and needless to say, our men and women in uniform will ignore such ‘encouragement.’ They’re made of much sterner stuff than some of their self-proclaimed admirers seem to think…

“President Obama said last week, speaking ‘to all Americans’: ‘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.’ Our fine servicemen and women won’t quit, they won’t whine, they won’t fret, and they won’t cause a scene. Conservatives owe it to them to conduct ourselves with the same composure and dignity.”

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“Former United States Deputy Undersecretary of Defense Jed Babbin told TheDC that the repeal raises more questions than it answers about America’s ability to execute the War on Terror effectively.

“‘Can gays serve as military advisers to Muslims?’ he asked in an e-mail to TheDC. ‘What about Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Afghanistan? Will gays be able to be out among the Muslims and how much will that drive Muslims away from the nation-building effort?’…

“Indeed propaganda is something to keep in mind, according to Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, president and founder of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy (AIFD). Jasser told TheDC that, while the AIFD did not take a position on the repeal of DADT, there is a good probability that jihadi propagandists will likely use the presence of gays in uniform against the United States.

“‘It will be used in order to paint American secularism as against their Islamic values, so it will be no different than other stereotypes about the West –as being anti-religious, anti-Islam — that have been used in the past to feed the anti-American military propaganda,’ Jasser said, noting that the real world impact will be unknown until the policy is actually implemented.”

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Via Mediaite.