A14 Hearings on the Pentagon's gay ban will provide a crucial forum.

There have been difficult transitions, and I'd expect when and if the gay ban is removed, you'll have difficulties as well.

Perhaps the most depressing part of the last few weeks has been how predictably the politics of the military gay ban played itself out.

The gay ban has dominated discussions in the military lately.

In the ensuing eight months, the military discharged 507 people for homosexuality, about the same rate as under the old absolute gay ban.

Some political observers, watching the way he has crossed his national party on issues like the gay ban and the budget vote this year, tend to believe him.

In fact, the gay ban is authorized by a 1993 Congressional law signed by the president.

Serving under the gay ban, he said, erodes the mutual trust that is essential not only to effective bonding but also to effective fighting.

The gay ban was also said to protect military readiness.

And in any case, the military and Congress could solve any problem of pretenders to homosexuality by simply lifting the gay ban.