Analysis: US may shift on gays in military

A cultural shift in the 17 years since Congress passed a legal ban on gays serving openly in the U.S. military had changed the debate even before it was reopened by President Barack Obama.

Colin Powell, for example, who as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1993 was part of the opposition, said Wednesday that for the past two years he has favored reviewing the current ban.

"Attitudes and circumstances have changed," he said.

For many younger members of the military _ those doing the bulk of the fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq _ it is hardly a debate at all. Polls suggest they care little about sexual orientation in their …