National Security Adviser: Obama won't lift gay ban until Iraq and Afghan wars finished - and even t

[joeycola]

Another down day.


http://gay.americablog.com/2009/10/national-security-adviser-obama-wont.html

National Security Adviser: Obama won't lift gay ban until Iraq and Afghan wars finished - and even then, if there are more wars...

Posted by John Aravosis (DC) at 10:14 AM

Apparently, General Jones would have us believe that President Obama wasn't aware that we were fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan when he promised to lift the gay ban during the campaign in exchange for our votes. So, Jones tells us today, Obama can't get to that particular promise right now because he's busy fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Uh huh.

So when exactly are both of those wars going to be over? I'm guessing some time after Obama leaves office. And that of course assumes that we don't have more wars to "distract" the president.

Jones just set us back. Again. He just gave the Republicans, and conservative Dems, the perfect talking point. Should anyone - members of Congress or the administration - move to lift the ban any time before these wars are over, our opponents will simply quote General Jones saying that to lift the ban during war time would be too distracting.

What could Jones have said? How about, there's a new analysis from a Department of Defense-related publication that same the ban can be lifted without hurting morale and cohesion. Or how about saying that the President just wrote to Senator Reid, agreeing to work together to lift the ban?

Nope. None of that. All we got was another reason why the president may never be able to keep his promise........................
In the end, don't think that Jones is simply freelancing. There is no way a senior administration official goes on TV and keeps screwing up like this. At first it's a screw up. After this many times, it's part of the plan. And the plan is to move the goal posts again and again and again until Obama can pass his gay rights promises to the next president, assuming we get a Democrat elected again this century.

[dsc]

1. recommended back to 0

I know many people here don't want to bother their beautiful minds with this trivial issue but thanks for bringing it to our attention.

[thunder rising]

3. I rarely unrecommend and hit the wrong button ... sry. This is just false.

[thunder rising]

2. 'magin that ... a blog entry for a link.

[Davis_X_Machina]

4. Or not, as the case may be....

...since there are those who have noticed that the uniformed services themselves are walking DADT back far faster than their civilian masters, and at the highest levels.

[Autumn]

5. Gay people can't fight in

wars? Tell that to the ones who have died in them. Obama can't lift the ban because we are in two wars? They sure as fuck didn't start November 5,2008. What a fucking moron.

[ProSense]

6. That is not what Jones said.

Facts.

[DrToast]

12. More distortions from Americablog. You can set your watch by it. n/t

[grantcart]

7. the description of what Jones said is not even light years within what he actually said

JONES: The President has an awful lot on his desk. I know this is an issue that he intends to take on at the appropriate time. He has already signaled that to the Defense Department. The Defense Department is doing the things it has to do to prepare, but at the right time, I’m sure the President will take it on.

KING: No idea when the right time is?

JONES: Um, I don’t think it’s going to be — it’s not years, but I think it will be teed up appropriately.


http://thinkprogress.org/2009/10/04/jim-jones-dadt-appropriate/

do people really think that this level of intellectual honesty helps advance their position?

[Davis_X_Machina]

10. Aravosis is prone to this.

I appreciate his advocating for his community, but he's lost all perspective before.

[vaberella]

13. Thanks for posting this GC. I'm getting fed up w/ posters posting half truths. n/t

[TheWraith]

8. Another day, another BS anti-Obama screed by John Aravosis.

A man who fact-checks his rants about as often as Fox News does.

[Deja Q]

9. I dunno, but more devout Muslims don't like gay people - why rile them up any more than necessary?

Indeed, why or how would the enemy figure out who's bonkin' who??? Since when did "don't ask don't tell" have a clause saying it's okay to covertly send a memo to "the other side" saying who's who...

:eyes:

[rmp yellow]

11. Does Avarosis ever provide direct quotes?

He expects us to believe his paraphrasing.

[Prism]

14. What this really tells us

Don't look for a DOMA repeal in the first term. Period.

A DADT repeal has high amounts of public support and the military leadership have been coming around for quite awhile. Yet Congress and the administration have demanded delay, promise, delay, promise, delay, delay, delay, nice speech, delay. I don't entirely understand how Aravosis tied a repeal to the end of the two wars - that declarative is nowhere in evidence in that interview. Instead, the General seems to be saying we could potentially be looking at a repeal at some point in 2010. Then again, that will be just in time for Congressional campaign season, so . . .

Given political timetables, I think we should start resigning ourselves to the fact that a DADT repeal, should it happen, will be touted as the Big Gay Accomplishment of this first term. The rest of it . . . well, if you give lots of money and vote in 2012 . . .

The administration will not be going out on a limb for us or our issues. It's difficult to take it personally, as they're not going out on any other limbs for so many other liberal causes. Hell, half the party hasn't even started climbing the tree.

Meh. Ah well. It'll be nice to have all that extra money over the next few years that ordinarily would've gone to political donations. Maybe a vacation in a nice pro-gay country is in order.

[Pirate Smile]

15. Americablog has really decided to just blow their credibility up.

Mission accomplished.