Defense Secretary Robert Gates now says that Congress should end "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" or the federal courts will force it to happen. Speaking yesterday in Melbourne, Australia, Gates told ABC’s Cynthia McFadden in that he believed the policy's demise was "inevitable."
"The question is whether it is done by legislation that allows us to do it in a thoughtful and careful way, or whether it is struck down by the courts. Because recent court decisions are certainly pointing in that direction. And we went through a period of two weeks in October where we had four different policy changes in the space of, as I say, two weeks, from striking it down totally, to a stay, to appeal, and so on. So I I think we have the least flexibility. We have the least opportunity to do this intelligently and carefully and with the kind of preparation that is necessary, if the courts take this action as opposed to there being legislation...
"My hope frankly is that if they -- if we can make the case that having this struck down by the courts is the worst outcome, because it gives us no flexibility, that people will think I'm called a realist, a pragmatist, I'm looking at this realistically. This thing is gonna go one way or the other. And I wanted and I -- when I testified last February I said, you know, there's smart ways to do things and there's stupid ways to do things. And trying to do this all at once and under some kind of fiat, I think is not the way to do it."
Secretary of State Clinton added: "It's kind of a generational issue, and this issue, like so many issues, you know young people have different life experiences. But there does have to be a thoughtful process, which is what Bob's running right now, a process to really survey this and examine and analyze it, and come to what is the best decision for our military and what they're expected to do out in very dangerous and difficult situations."
In other DADT-related news: White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer told National Journal that repealing the ban on gays serving openly in the military is "at least worth a shot" in the lame-duck session of Congress that begins next week. "At least worth a shot"?
Watch the interview WHEN YOU JUMP ...
When I read Gates’s and Clinton’s remarks, I wonder what it is about us gay people that requires so much thought and preparation and care.
The repeal of DADT only means not expelling people who are already there. That would seem to be a pretty easy thing to “do.”
These people make me suspicious.
Posted by: Jim | 10 November 2010 at 23:16