Katherine Miller was a cadet at West Point, among the top ten in her class. Yesterday, she resigned after coming out as a lesbian, writing that she was "unwilling to suppress an entire portion of my identity any longer because it has taken a significant personal, mental, and social toll on me and detrimentally affected my professional development." Wonk Room has more details; Andrew Exum says she is "exactly the kind of person we need in the ranks of our nation's junior officer corps."We've come to a pretty pass when the only way for an officer candidate to retain her integrity is to resign from the United States Army. Miller, now off to Yale, is owed at the very least an explanation and apology from Obama, her commander in chief, as to how this scenario came to pass. One might call this a teachable moment, one that could use a beer summit with an opponent of repealing "don't ask, don't tell." I'd love to see the opponents of allowing citizens like Miller to serve with honor try to explain their opposition to her face -- especially those who never volunteered themselves.
-- Tim Fernholz
