Power, Morals, and Military Uniqueness.

This article focuses on the issues involved in the gay ban from the United States military. Within the Democratic Party, Senator Sam Nunn, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, publicly opposed President Bill Clinton's decision to lift the gay ban, insisting that no final decision should be made without a full congressional inquiry into the matter, which he was prepared to lead. His willingness to battle the president on this issue, some have suggested, stems in part from his pique at not being appointed to a major cabinet post and not being consulted adequately on military matters by Clinton's transition team. This claim casts no doubt on Nunn's sincerity in opposing Clinton's original proposal to lift the ban, but it speaks to the choice of political weapons Nunn has employed.