In last week's State of the Union address, President Obama reiterated his campaign promise to "finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are." Today, Admiral Mike Mullen, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a Senate committee he agrees that repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is "the right thing to do," but Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the Pentagon needs a year to study how that might be accomplished. Julian Barnes is Pentagon reporter for the Los Angeles Times.