hardball college tour, right before the midterm elections in 2006, he had john mccain on the college tour with him in iowa. they took questions from the crowd. >> our military needs as many fine young men and women as we can get. >> yes. >> why do we have a policy that discriminates on the basis of declared sell you'll orientation? >> i listened to people like general colin powell, former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, and literally every military leader i know, and they testified before congress that they felt that the don't ask don't tell policy was the most appropriate way to conduct ourselves in the military. i understand the opposition to it, and i've had these debates and discussions, but the day that the leadership of the military comes to me and says, senator, we ought to change the policy, then i think we ought to consider seriously changing, because those leaders in the military are the ones we give