In early November 2008, when gay activists were mounting a fundraising boycott of the Democratic National Committee, Barney Frank announced that a provision repealing the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy would be attached to the defense appropriations bill to be voted on in the spring or summer of 2010. DNC Boycott over.
I said, doubtful:
“Next year” is one of the lamest dodges in existence, but it’s all Democrats are willing to give right now. And considering that “next year” is an election year in which Republicans are ascending and Democrats are in full-blown defensive mode, “next year” may just have to wait, again
It is looking like next year has become “several years.” How could that be, you ask, since Barack Obama in his State of the Union speech last week promised to repeal DADT this year. Read the words very, very carefully:
This year, I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are.
Obama did not say DADT would be repealed this year. He said that “this year” he would “work with Congress and our military ….” The professor-in-chief sure knows how to pen a sentence.
Just days after the SOTU speech, it became clear that “this year” likely means “several years” of review before DADT would be repealed:
The Defense Department starts the clock next week on what is expected to be a several-year process in lifting its ban on gays from serving openly in the military….
While the review is likely to take the better part of this year to complete, and even more time to implement, its initiation will advance President Barack Obama’s goal of repealing the ban and bring a divisive issue for the military back to the fore.
So “work with””this year” doesn’t necessarily mean “repeal””this year” to the amazement of some:
I read today that the Pentagon’s timetable for repeal of DADT is “several years” long. If this is true then their timetable does not live up to what the President promised in the State of the Union Address…. THIS YEAR he said. If repeal takes until 2012 to implement then it isn’t happening THIS YEAR and the Pentagon is making a liar out of the President.
Do not call my President a liar, please. He meant what he said, and he said what he meant. You just weren’t listening carefully enough.
The Democratic Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee understood Obama quite clearly:
Rep. Ike Skelton — chairman of the House Armed Services Committee — repeated his opposition today to repealing the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy for gays and lesbians serving in the armed services.
“We’re in the middle of two wars,” Skelton told reporters. “And I don’t want anything that is disturbing or upsetting to the troops.”…
Skelton said the Military Personnel Subcommittee would hold hearings on the issue, although none appear to be scheduled so far.
I wonder if those hearings will be on C-Span.
Don Surber points out that DADT was a Democratic law passed by a Democratic Congress and signed into law by a Democratic President with the support of Democrat Ted Kennedy, and ends with this astute observation: “Why gay activists trust teh Democrats is beyond me.”
Cynthia Yockey sees Obama’s strategery:
Obama does not play games he hasn’t rigged…. So I think Obama has rigged a crushing defeat for any attempt to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell,” and his homosexual patsies on the Left — I’m talking to YOU, Human Rights Campaign! — don’t see this betrayal coming…. I also think Obama is counting on an outcry from the Right in favor of “don’t ask, don’t tell” to give cover to the bigotry of the Left.
Please check your in-boxes, there are e-mails from the DNC and Organizing for America seeking donations “this year.”
And for donations, the DNC and OFA really mean this year, as in 2010, as in give them your credit card number right now to make sure they get your money this year. What do you not understand about this year?
Now I leave open the possibility I am wrong, and that Obama will bring to bear all of his political resources to get DADT repealed this year. But I wouldn’t bet on it. Because whether DADT is repealed this year or not, Obama will have kept his word.
Update: Yup, “this year” means several years, if ever. The man sure can pen a sentence.
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Related Posts:
Did Dems Already Dodge Gay Activist Boycott?
Gay Activists Launch Boycott of Dems
Democrats Sold Their Party’s Reproductive Soul
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Comments
The fact that Obama spent more than 20 years listening to homophobic rants from "Rev" Wright seems to have eluded people.
Why do people assume that because DADT is policy then there are no gays in the military? And why do we need to spend years to reverse this policy?
This is pretty much the bone Obama throws the gay community to keep them off his back. Dont they pay attention? Obama has the same views as McCain on gay marriage.
I agree that Pres. Obama words contained a lot of weasel. But to quote an elderly House Rep., and to avoid the generals and other active and retire members of the forces who feel DADT should be repeal is a bit disingenuous. And the young military members have a very different attitude towards gays then us older folks and have grew up in a generation of tolerance and unbiased feelings towards gays, with little if any prejudice. So professor, it is a different world, a lot of countries have acknowledged gay folks serving in the military, so it is time to move on. Finally, we should never had legislated prejudice, like the DADT policy
I have a question for you regarding this post. As I read it, the post is largely focused on ridiculing gay activists and those who support the repeal of the Don't Ask Don't Tell law for reading into Obama's comments something that wasn't there. It also ridicules the same groups for believing that politicians may actually take action and repeal the law.
While it may be good sport (especially for a blogger) to ridicule people for believing that politicians may actually do what they say, this attack is not limited to the right or left; take, for example, those who believed that Bush was committed to fiscal responsibility and limited government. Because the attack can be so easily leveled at practically anyone who ventures to trust a politician, it is basically an easy cheap shot that can be used to attack those with whom you disagree or dislike for being 'naive'.
So, while I'm not very interested in your cynical attack, I would be interested to hear your response to the following question: Do you view the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell as consistent with your conception of how the government should interact with citizens, and more specifically, how it should interact with citizens who voluntarily join the armed forces?
Thanks.