Obama to delay repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell'

[JudyInTheHeartland]

Source: Washington Times

President-elect Barack Obama will not move for months, and perhaps not until 2010, to ask Congress to end the military's decades-old ban on open homosexuals in the ranks, two people who have advised the Obama transition team on this issue say.

Repealing the ban was an Obama campaign promise. However, Mr. Obama first wants to confer with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and his new political appointees at the Pentagon to reach a consensus and then present legislation to Congress, the advisers said.

"I think 2009 is about foundation building and reaching consensus," said Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. The group supports military personnel targeted under the ban.

Mr. Sarvis told The Washington Times that he has held "informal discussions" with the Obama transition team on how the new president should proceed on the potentially explosive issue.

Lawrence Korb, an analyst at the Center for American Progress and an adviser to the Obama campaign, said the new administration should set up a Pentagon committee to make recommendations to Congress on a host of manpower issues, including the gay ban.

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/nov/21/obama-to-delay-repeal-of-dont-ask-dont-tell/

[Cosmic Charlie]

1. are you seriously posting the Washington Times here and expecting people to pay attention?

[iamjoy]

2. Bad Idea

I understand the need to properly prepare, but 2010 is a bad time to do this because it's an election year (Congress). Unless we're sure most people are on our side (or already solid Republican voters) you don't want to give the "Religious Right" anything to use as a wedge issue. If by some chance 2010 is a repeat of 1994, this will not pass a Republican Congress.

Do everything possible to get it done early. Otherwise, it may not happen.

Of course, there's so much he has to do...

[atimetocome]

15. It will only fester if he does delay the repeal.

[darkism]

3. inb4 shitstorm n/t

[Alter Ego]

4. The Moonie Times is probably not the best place to get information.

Nevertheless, I really don't care how long it takes him to do it--as long as he does it.

[Cronus Protagonist]

5. Let's face it... there's never a good time to be good to gays

:sarcasm:

[jhrobbins]

8. Really! I am so sick of them with their me,me,me agenda acting

like they are...uh, wait a minute. Nevermind. My bad. :think:

[sutz12]

6. Lessons from history...

Clinton got forced into this early in his term and it backfired on him. Having said that, though, this could fly this time on the backlash from Prop 8.

:shrug:

[RaleighNCDUer]

9. I was about to say the same thing.

Nobody seems to remember that when DADT was first implemented by Clinton it was seen as an improvement over the existing situation, where commanders could spy on their subordinates, inform on them to military intelligence, have the followed and probably even wiretapped to get proof if they were gay. DADT meant no one was supposed to ask about it, and the gay individuals were not supposed to tell about it. But there were no provisions for disciplining anyone who DID ask about it, so the spying continued unabated. So the situation, as we've seen, hardly changed while at the same time Clinton got hammered for supporting gays. Then he got hammered for NOT supporting gays, and not ending the discrimination in the first place.

I think a few months wait is prudent, because it gives the new administration time to figure out who the particular blocking parties are. How do you do this where there is a large contingent in the office corp that is fundie-crazy christian, who have been coercively proselytizing to their subordinates. Those people need to be retired or shunted off to non-executive positions where the damage they are doing is minimized. With them out of the way, and the military returned to the professional standards it once held, THEN it can address the issue without being undermined from within.

Yeah. I know. I'm calling for a purge of fundies in the military. It does the military no good to have people who place religious ideology above professionalism and discipline.

[saigon68]

28. It does the military no good to have people who place religious ideology above professionalism

A thorough housecleaning of these fundy religious nut jobs is necessary

[No Elephants]

32. In other words, "don't ask, don't tell:" changed absolutely nothing.

[atimetocome]

16. good thought.

[Kittycat]

7. For starters Moonie Times. Second, uncomfirmed from Obama Camp, third...

Legislation will take a little time, of course. I doubt highly it will take 2 years.

[No Elephants]

31. Why would it require legislation? Why can't the CIC just decree it?

[closeupready]

10. I was preparing a comment, but given the source (WA times) I'm withholding

until you come up with a legitimate source.

[Blue_in_Mass]

11. Obama is starting to strike me as being more pragmatic than ideological. n.t.

[tjahome]

12. Source=Fail

[codjh9]

13. I think 'don't ask, don't tell' was one of the stupidest policies that went in under Clinton. n/t

[RedSock]

19. yup

and clinton backtracked on that promise right after taking office.
he retreated on something just about every day for his first three months.
and then he adopted his dino stance for the rest of two terms
i am always shocked at the duers who profess such luv for clinton.

[NaturalHigh]

20. Clinton was one of the most popular presidents ever.

His high approval ratings mean that a lot of democrats must have been pretty happy with his eight years in office. I was in the Air Force for four of those years, and I remember him being fairly well-liked (at least among the enlisted ranks). With that being said, how exactly was he a "dino"?

There are a lot of conservative and moderate democrats. We're still democrats, even if we're not as "progressive" as some might like.

[TankLV]

27. Of course, you don't know that this is the COMPROMISE, right?

Among Clinton's first acts was to END DESCRIMINATION OF GAYS SERVING OPENLY IN THE MILITARY.

THAT was "Clinton's position".

It's only after the REPUKE along with CONSERVATIVE DEMS that wanted to officially enshrine a BAN on Gays serving in the Military, that Clinton SAVED THE DAY and all parties SETTLED ON THIS COMPROMISE whereby if one was Gay, thay oould serve in the Military, as long as they didn't publicize the fact?!

Of course you're trying to spew that THIS DADT was the INITIAL policy of Clinton's, when it complete goes against what Clinton was actually trying to do.

[No Elephants]

33. Bottom line: Clinton did zero for gays, in or out of the military.

[rug]

14. If this report is true, what rational reason is there to wait?

[heliarc]

18. Study into the issue...

Tip hat to Joint Chiefs. Make them feel respected. The last thing we want is a sit room that hates the POTUS. Exploration of real policy measures to ensure the protection of the rights of our armed forces. A lot of good reasons not to impose new policies on the military without their input or without deliberation. I think this is a smart move. Signal intent to change the policy, but also send the message to the Generals that we care about their opinion in how its done.

[rug]

21. I expect he studied it before he made the promise.

What do you expect, a military coup if he stops discrimination?

[heliarc]

25. I'm a Chilean-American who is a child of exiles...

Call me paranoid, but I kind of I expect a coup if he stops discrimination, or nationalizes anything. There are some parallels between the Obama campaign and the Allende campaign. I would be surprised if that happened of course, but Obama is not a military man, and he will have a sit room full of generals to woo. I think its prudent to wait on the issue. See what the Supreme court says about Prop 8.

[No Elephants]

37. America is not Chile. We have never had a coup. And he does not have to

woo anyone. Attempting that would be a huge mistake. He will NEVER convince the fundies. He is CIC and he should just decree it. Trying to get consensus will do harm and no good.

[heliarc]

40. Chile is in South America.

It is part of America. But I suppose you mean that "the United States is not Chile." I've gotten good at interpreting that sort of chauvenism. The US has had assassinations and a civil war before if not a military coup. The Southern Poverty Law Center is seeing a lot more white supremacist activity lately and without being too alarming, there is a lot of fear on the right about Obama however unjustified.

The Joint Chiefs need to feel that their CIC respects their command. The Clinton reform was seen as unilateral and naive... If Obama makes a gesture of including the Joint Chiefs in any decision he makes, even if at the end of the day he "decrees" it... as a monarch does... than he has the argument that the Joint chiefs were stubborn as a retort. If he doesn't give them any input, than he will be seen as a despot, and just as naive as Clinton was.

[No Elephants]

34. Exactly. He should just issue an order as

CIC on Day One, as Carter did with amnesty. They'll get over it. The longer it's discussed, the more of an issue it will become and the more hard feelings there will be from people who had input, but don't get their way.

[EFerrari]

29. I thought Clinton got backlash because he did not build consensus

before he made his public promise? From the Joint Chiefs, I mean.

[JNelson6563]

17. Ok, source aside

This is an important issue that needs to be addressed thoroughly and thoughtful. I remember, in an interview after leaving the WH, President Clinton said he had been sucker punched with the issue soon after he'd been sworn in. Said it was something he'd definitely handle differenntly, given the chance.

Julie

[No Elephants]

36. Easy cop out. He had 8 years. Trying to have it every which way, as usual.

[msanthrope]

22. Low Count Poster Posting News from Moonie Times....yawn..n/t

[qwlauren35]

23. Welcome, Judy!

Be warned, you've posted a pretty hot topic. If you get a bit singed, don't be discouraged.

:hi:

[TechBear_Seattle]

24. Self-deleted and replaced with a deep breath

I am willing to withhold judgement until and unless the story is repeated by the BBC, the Associated Press, the Christian Science Monitor or some other news source with a reputation for reasonably reliable accuracy. The Moonie Times.... no.

But don't expect me to ignore this report, either. The Democratic leadership has an extremely bad reputation with regards to actually living up to their rhetoric about supporting GLBT issues, and honestly, I don't see this changing any time soon.

[Posteritatis]

26. It being a military rule, can't the president just use fiat? (nt)

[No Elephants]

30. Just issue an Executive Order, CIC!

[yardwork]

35. Washington Times = no credibility

[No Elephants]

38. The folly of

delay, trying for consensus, etc. http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1598653,00.html See especially, the last paragraph of the article.

When Truman realized it was immoral to segregate the military, he desegregated the military. He did not wait for consensus. if he had, he probably would not have gotten it.

Do the right thing.

[Deemers]

39. Why?

Why wait...it's obvious what the proper course of action should be...