"We will follow the law, whatever it is," Gates said. "That dialogue, though, has really not progressed very far at this point in the administration."
"I think the president and I feel like we've got a lot on our plates right now, and let's push that one down the road a little bit," he said.
Former president Bill Clinton touched off a furore within the military at the outset of his administration by calling for an end to the ban.
The uproar forced him to fall back on a 1993 compromise -- "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" -- under which gays could serve in the military so long as they did not acknowledge their homosexuality.
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"I think the president and I feel like we've got a lot on our plates right now, and let's push that one down the road a little bit," he said.
Former president Bill Clinton touched off a furore within the military at the outset of his administration by calling for an end to the ban.
The uproar forced him to fall back on a 1993 compromise -- "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" -- under which gays could serve in the military so long as they did not acknowledge their homosexuality.
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