Political waffler alert: Iraq War vet Tammy Duckworth wants equality for gay soldiers--but not really.

When Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran running as a Democrat for a Chicago-area U.S. House seat, said she thought anyone willing to serve in the military should be able to do so--regardless of sexual orientation--one could be excused for thinking she actually meant it. But when gay rights groups hailed her implicit support of ending "don't ask, don't tell," she quickly did an about-face.

"When I was serving in Iraq, it made no difference to me what the sexual orientation of my comrades was," Duckworth said in a statement to the Human Rights Campaign. "It certainly did not matter to me what the sexual orientation was of the men or women who helped save my life after my Black Hawk helicopter was shot down over Iraq.... Any qualified American who is willing to make that kind of sacrifice for our freedom should be free to do so."

HRC then listed her on its Web site as backing a repeal of the military's ban on openly gay servicemembers.

But Duckworth quickly backpedaled after Service-members Legal Defense Network, a Washington, D.C.-based organization lobbying to end "don't ask, don't tell," issued a press release August 9 praising her "strong support" for the cause. Turns out, according to her press secretary, that Duckworth, who lost both legs in the chopper incident, supports repealing the ban only if military commanders do. As the media rep told the Chicago Daily Herald, "Tammy has not expressed strong support for repealing 'don't ask, don't tell.'"

Really?