This is just too rich.... Last week Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY) sliced and diced the Pentagon's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy by suggesting Condoliar Rice hire the gay linguists dismissed by the Pentagon during a congressional hearing on the '08 State Dept. budget. Ackerman said. "...For some reason, the military seems more afraid of gay people than they are against terrorists, but they're very brave with the terrorists.... If the terrorists ever got a hold of this information, they'd get a platoon of lesbians to chase us out of Baghdad...."

(more)

Delicious, especially considering the ambiguity about Condi's own sexuality.

Here's a report and partial transcript of the exchange...

Rice Pressed On Fired Gay Linguists

by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff

Posted: February 7, 2007 - 5:00 pm ET

(Washington) Condoleezza Rice got a grilling Wednesday when she bemoaned "the foreign language deficit that we have" and how much the government needs Farsi and Arabic speakers during an appearance on Capitol Hill.

Rice was appearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee justifying the State Department's proposed budget increases.

After she complained several times that the department was facing a problem finding translators an exasperated Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY) asked why the department had not hired any of the translators fired by the Pentagon because they are gay and lesbian.

Under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" more than two dozen Arabic translators have been dropped since the war in Iraq began.

"It seems that the Defense Department has a 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' when it comes to homosexuals. You don't have such a prohibition in your agency, do you?" Ackerman asked Rice.

"No, we do not," Rice replied.

"Well, it seems that the military has gone around and fired a whole bunch of people who speak foreign languages — Farsi and Arabic, etc.," Ackerman told her.

The Congressman said that they had already been trained at government expense and had passed security tests.

"For some reason, the military seems more afraid of gay people than they are against terrorists, but they're very brave with the terrorists," Ackerman said.."If the terrorists ever got a hold of this information, they'd get a platoon of lesbians to chase us out of Baghdad."

The remark drew some smiles from fellow members of the panel, but Rice was stone faced.

He then asked directly why the State Department had not looked at the fired gay linguists.

"Can we marry up those two — or maybe that's the wrong word — can we have some kind of union of those two issues?" Ackerman asked.

"Congressman Ackerman, I'm not aware of the availability of people, but I certainly will look [at] what we are doing right now," Rice replied, adding that the department had increased staff in many critical areas but needs additional people at higher levels.

"But maybe you might find some of those competent people among those who are recently unemployed."

"We'll look at it," is all Ackerman could get Rice to commit to.

"Secretary Rice would have no trouble finding gay linguists," said Sharon Alexander, deputy director of policy for Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.

"In fact, our government could go a long way in addressing the shortage of language expertise by doing just as Congressman Ackerman suggests. SLDN would be happy to introduce Secretary Rice to our many clients who speak Arabic but have been dismissed because of the ban," said Alexander.

Since the ban on gays serving openly was implemented a decade ago more than 11,000 men and women have been dismissed under "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" according to the Government Accountability Office.

Last month Rep. Marty Meehan (D-Mass.) said that he will reintroduce legislation to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." early in this session of Congress and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) has told Defense Secretary Robert Gates he wants an answer on the new secretary's position on DADT by March 16.

And guess what? She's actually looking into it!

h/t thecarpetbaggerreport.com, thinkprogress, Pam's House Blend, and freddomtoserve...