Appartently Hagel is the one [View all]

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I will say if this were four years ago I would be beyond consolation. But Obama has earned my trust on gay issues. That isn't to say this isn't a problem. Chuck Hagel was every bit as anti gay as Jesse Helms as late as 2006. In 1998, he directly said that he would oppose a man to be ambassador to Luxembourg because he was 'aggressively gay'. In 2001, he told the NYT, that ending DADT would be a social experiment. We are now told he has changed. He issued an apology for what he said about Hormel but not for what he said about DADT. This apology was issued after the possibility of becoming Defense Secretary happened. He was silent during the 2009-2010 run up to removing DADT. If this isn't a case of saying whatever he thinks we want to hear I would like to know what specific event caused his change of heart. The fact is his appointment will set a horrible precedent. You can be a huge anti gay bigot, issue a curiously timed apology, and serve in a Democratic administration. It will be quite hard for us to oppose such appointments in Republican administrations once we give Hagel a pass.

There is also the problem that gays serving isn't the done deal we think it is. There are several issues that still are being worked out. There are also significant numbers of service members who are adamantly opposed to gays serving at all, let alone openly. They will be emboldened by Hagel's appointment. I wouldn't want to be an openly gay soldier reporting to a bigot in Hagel's defense department. Hagel will have a big say in the final arrangements of getting rid of DADT. He will be issuing rules about this. I hope someone on the Armed Services committee will pin Hagel down on this. Even better would be having someone other than Hagel be responsible for writing any regulations having to do with ending DADT with Obama himself being the person who signs off on them. Unfortunately Tammy Baldwin isn't on the Armed Services committee but Gillibrand is. I hope she has eaten her wheaties.