The president reiterated his support for repeal and said he expected that Defense secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs chair Adm. Mike Mullen would have "something to say" about the Pentagon's study of repeal when it comes out in December. "But that will give us time to act in -- potentially during the lame duck session to change this policy," he said.
Leaving the policy open to the back and forth in the courts, Obama added, would disrupt unit cohesion. “We need to provide certainty and it’s time for us to move this policy forward,” he said.
Obama also stated that "the overwhelming majority of Americans" feel gays and lesbians should be able to serve openly. "This should not be a partisan issue," he told CNN's Ed Henry, who had posed the question. But he diligently avoided answering the crux of Henry's question, which was whether he might have to admit defeat on the matter to his base now that the Democratic majority in the Senate has been cut to fewer than a handful of seats in the next Congress.
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