When I left the military and contemplated entering political life, many issues led me to find my political home in the Democratic Party. Affirmative action was one of the most important. This is an issue that Democrats both understand well and feel deeply. And, based on my experiences, I believe without hesitation that we Democrats are right in our belief that affirmative action is good for all Americans.

Growing up in Little Rock, I saw firsthand the ugly legacy of racial discrimination. After the local schools were closed because of the battle over de-segregation, I had to go to a school in Tennessee for a year. For all of us in Little Rock, Central High School is a shrine to that struggle to end racial segregation. But the end of segregation did not mean the end of discrimination. Racial hatred has deep and pernicious roots in our nation's history. It is a cancer that needs to be cured, and affirmative action has been one of the most effective treatments.

There is one thing the opponents of affirmative action have never wanted to admit: it works. I know this first-hand from my thirty-four years in the United States military. Affirmative action was essential to creating the diverse officer corps we need to defend our country. Throughout my career, I have seen the benefits of seeking out qualified minority candidates for leadership positions - and I am a beneficiary of their leadership.

In the University of Michigan affirmative action case this year, I joined military and political leaders in an amicus brief affirming my deeply-held belief that policies combating discrimination are essential to good order, combat readiness, and military effectiveness. As a result of these policies, the military is one of the most integrated institutions in America. And our country is safer today because it is defended by a diverse, integrated, talented military that is the envy of the world.

It was not always so. In the years immediately following President Truman's courageous decision to integrate the military, there was still racial tension in the ranks. The marines witnessed racial violence at Camp Lejeune. The Navy experienced trouble on board the Constellation, the Kitty Hawk, and the Hassayampa. Twenty years later, I saw first-hand the demoralizing effect of the racial divide between the officers and their soldiers and among the soldiers themselves. As we stated in our amicus brief: "The painful lesson slowly learned was that our diverse enlisted ranks rendered integration of the officer corps a military necessity." Affirmative action was crucial to achieving that integration and reestablishing a sense of justice within our Army.

The military is, in many ways, a microcosm of our society. That is why a group of former military leaders cared so deeply about the University of Michigan case. The achievement of a diverse student body at a university, like the achievement of a diverse officer corps in the military, will make Michigan a better, more well-rounded, more just institution.

My commitment to affirmative action is based on my belief in all that unites mankind. But I am also committed to affirmative action because it works. Our president, on the other hand, seems unable to pull himself away from his right wing advisors long enough to examine the facts. The Bush Administration argued against affirmative action in the Michigan case. And they've done everything possible to undermine diversity, not promote it. I think Mr. Bush should head down the hall and talk with National Security Advisor Condi Rice, or speak with General Colin Powell, both of whom have testified to their support of affirmative action.

Conservatives say they are opposed to affirmative action "on principle." They invoke "quotas" to scare people into thinking they will lose their place at the table. But this is a pessimistic view of America's future. If we make room for everybody, there will be more room for everybody. An integrated America, where each and every American is treated with the same dignity and respect, is a better America for everyone. Until that day arrives, every day the thousand small and not-so-small judgments, discriminations, and insults that some Americans must endure is an affront to us and all we stand for. And we are not going to remedy these injustices by ignoring them.

Democrats have always believed that our diversity is our greatest strength, whether in our schools, our workplaces, our government or our courts. Unlike the ideologues who deny the facts and denounce affirmative action, we will work for an America where everyone has a chance to contribute-- and receives the respect each and every American deserves.