The chiefs of all four military services have weighed in against prospects for an imminent Congressional repeal of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. It is interesting to observe, however, the contrast between what the chiefs actually say and the misleading headline by the Weekly Standard. The chiefs ask that the repeal be delayed until the completion of the military’s ongoing “study” into the repeal,, they do not go so far as to oppose the repeal itself.

The difference is important because the chiefs of the military services have a powerful and often politically decisive voice in the process. Yes, the President is the Commander-in-Chief with authority to simply order the change, but Congress writes the laws and “don’t ask, don’t tell” was implemented by statute in 1993 in reaction to President Clinton’s bungling on the issue. Moreover, military chiefs carry a lot of weight with the public, or at least they do during periods such as 1993 (right after the Gulf War showed military prowess) and such as right now (after General Petreaus recaptured officers’ credibility on military matters in the aftermath of Rumsfeld’s overreaching with regard to military strategy). The whole process is a game of rhetorical chess, and the President remains the king, senior officers are the queens, bishops, knights, and rooks.

Watch carefully in the foregoing weeks and months what senior military leaders say. And what they don’t say.