They haven’t necessarily been asked, but some Democrats and retired military officials are telling who they want in as secretary of the Navy: openly gay William White.

Ret. General Hugh Shelton, who acted as chairman of the Joint Chiefs from 1997 until 2001, says White would be "phenomenal," while Democratic Representative Jerrold Nadler described him as "very capable."

Though he himself doesn’t have any military experience, Nadler insists his tenure as chief operating officer of the USS Intrepid Museum laid the foundation for his experience: "Mr. Nadler said Mr. White has become a friend of the military, and particularly the service members and their families, both through the Intrepid and through Fisher Houses, which offer a place to stay so families can be close to military members who are receiving medical care." If appointed, White would be the first openly gay official to serve in the role.

Now, some of you may be asking, "Wait, doesn’t the military prohibit openly gay servicemen and women?" Well, yes, they do, and that exclusionary law could cause a headache should White be nominated. Elaine Donnelly, who runs the Center for Military Readiness, offered her reservations on the White possibility yesterday, "It’s a matter of judgment, and I think that would be very poor judgment on the part of the commander in chief. It would be very demoralizing to the troops."

Nadler, meanwhile, dismissed Donnelly’s criticism as "nonsense," and said, "He’s not in the foxhole, he’s not on the ship," and therefore won’t "demoralize" anything. More than that, the position’s of the civilian variety, which means White’s presence wouldn’t contradict "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell."

The Obama team, of course, isn’t telling where they stand on White’s occupational future.