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decades, more than 35 years through social circles and through howard university, the board of howard university. it is really an intimate and small and tight-knit professional black community here in washington, d.c. you would see general powell, his wife, alma, at many of the functionings and activities, whether it was the boulay or the lakes or jack and jill or any one of those black service organizations that would bring all of us together on many, many occasions. wolf, the first time that i met secretary powell, it speaks to his charm. it was 28 years ago. he was the commencement speaker at harvard university. i was just a young reporter at the time. he was very controversial about the don't ask, don't tell policy in the military that was prohibiting gays from openly serving in the military. there was of course that negotiation that took place, the don't ask, don't tell policy through clinton.
and i remember seeing him. there were protests that were swarming around the campus. i convinced my photographer to jump over a set of bushes to get to him. when we cleared the bushes, right in front of him, startled him, i couldn't speak. he looked at me. i looked at him. and he just said, "well, hello." it really just floored me because i couldn't speak at all. i had all my questions and i froze at that moment looking at this kind of brilliant smile and very imposing figure. but he just smiled at me. eventually i got my thoughts together, was able to challenge him a little bit on that policy, which he had since repealed, the don't ask, don't tell policy. but he did have that electric charm and smile, if you will. wolf, i want to tell you, i'd be remiss not to comment at least about the program taking place right now. this is the organ and brass prelude. you hear the u.s. army brass quintet. if you look at what is on the menu for those to listen to,
on that. coming up -- >> in the don't ask, don't tell era, if you were going to come out, you were going to lose your commission. car insurance so i only pay for what i need. oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no... only pay for what you need. liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪
>> there was even the shameful tour that they did on a submarine showing the sleeping quarters to raise up the ick factor for the american people so that they would then call their members of congress and say, don't do this, don't put our son in danger of being preyed upon, these scary gay people. >> we cannot have the homosexuals wandering around in the military and seducing the younger people. >> that's what they did, and it worked. >> hearings begin today in the senate that could lead to legislation, putting a permanent gay ban into law. >> the president had to back down and ended up coming up with this terrible compromise. don't ask, don't tell. >> the don't ask, don't tell policy would permit gays in the military as long as they don't reveal their homosexuality or engage in homosexual conduct. >> i joined the reserve in 2009. it was late in the don't ask, don't tell era, but it was very much the law of the land.
quarters and that's what we'd like to show you today. >> there was even the shameful tour that they did on a submarine showing the sleeping quarters to raise up the ick factor for the american people so that they would then call their members of congress and say, don't do this, don't put our son in danger of being preyed upon, these scary gay people. >> we cannot have the homosexuals wandering around in the military and seducing the younger people. >> that's what they did, and it worked. >> hearings begin today in the senate that could lead to legislation, putting a permanent gay ban into law. >> the president had to back down and ended up coming up with this terrible compromise. don't ask, don't tell. >> the don't ask, don't tell policy would permit gays in the military as long as they don't reveal their homosexuality or engage in homosexual conduct. >> i joined the reserve in 2009. it was late in the don't ask,
human in all of our forms in the united states of america. and we will have that we insist on that. coming up -- >> in the don't ask, don't tell era, if you were going to come out, you were going to lose your commission. so you only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪
room to disagree with him and they have room to break with him when they want to. i think that maybe doesn't bode as well for republicans going into september when they really have to get some things done. they have got to do the debt ceiling. they want to do tax reform. when you have a situation where republicans don't feel obligated to fall in line behind the white house it doesn't make things impossible but it makes things difficult. >> on the other huge issue now, the banning of transgenders, the president has said he respects his generals. yet many have said this is the opposite of what the military has evolved into. >> well, of course, it kind of harkens back to the don't ask, don't tell era. i think between with the
readiness and unit cohesion. that's a quote. i wonder your reaction to that. that's an argument that's been made, frankly, for, you know, whether or not to have african-americans serving in the military, and whether to have openly gay people serving in the military, gay and lesbian people. does it affect unit cohesion? >> you brought up the exact points. this is the 1950s, going back to segregation, you're going to the don't ask, don't tell era. i mean nothing ever happened. when we integrated the military and everything was better, that diversity makes us stronger. that diversity is what we need. it's same thing. these are excuses. this is some kind of -- something's going on. it has nothing to do with unit cohesion, readiness, or their capability. it's nothing to do with that. >> undoubtedly there are members of the military who are not comfortable having transgendered individuals serving with them. when you were serving, you weren't open to your fellow s.e.a.l.s. what do you say to those who
there. they don't try to escape. the raging hiv epidemic right now is not happening in new york. it's not happening in san francisco. it's happening in the south. >> can i just say -- >> the idea that they don't exist there is just not true. >> i might be the only one at this table maybe besides you who has been at the trump rally and went to lots of them during the campaign. your point is dead on about, when wisconsin and michigan and pennsylvania changed from blue to red, some of it was just -- people couldn't articulate it, but the country was moving and changing way too fast, and faster than -- and it was a country that they didn't recognize. and that whether it was gay rights or other things that contributed to it. however, having said that, on the flip side, you have a lot of public servants who, like john mccain seven years ago was against the don't ask, don't tell repeal, and he's for this. >> scott's point is accurate
five other languages. she's been in the war zone a couple of times, back and forth. she's immensely capable. how will you replace that person? i can give you dozens of accounts of people were that kind of experience. people like me serving in the military, you can't replace a senior chief, you can't replace all that experience. you're talking about huge disruptions. >> the president, according to the white house press secretary, that it erodes military cohesion. that's an argument that's been made, frankly, for, you know, whether or not to have african-americans serving in the military, and whether to have openly gay people serving in the military, gay and lesbian people. does it affect unit cohesion? >> you brought up the exact points. this is the 1950s, going back to segregation, you're going to the don't ask,l era.