Iraq Veteran To Take Lead On Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal
Roll Call is reporting that Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA) will take the lead in advancing legislation to overturn the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy when it's current sponsor, Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA), is confirmed by the Senate and moves over to the State Department to be President Obama's Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security.
There's major symbolic significance to that move.
Murphy is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and, more importantly, a Bronze Star winner and the first Iraq war veteran to serve in Congress.
Tauscher's confirmation may not come for some time, though, and Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates have placed a DADT repeal on the back burner. On March 29, Gates sought to lower the expectations of many on the left who hoped a repeal would be coming in short order. "I think the president and I feel like we've got a lot on our plates right now," Gates said. "Let's push that one down the road a little bit."
Less than two weeks later he proposed the most sweeping overhaul of defense spending in a generation.
Gates will be up on the HIll soon after Congress returns from recess to defend his budget, and one can imagine the issue arising at the hearing. Kevin Nix, communications director for the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network says, "the president can and should ax Don't Ask, Don't Tell out of his FY '10 defense budget.... If he doesn't do so, he is effectively signaling that the ban on openly gay and lesbian service members will be OK on his watch."
He also suggests that activist groups might use the occasion to demonstrate for or against gay equality in the military. We'll be following all developments closely.
Josh
Matt
Eric
Thank you Rep. Murphy and Rep. Tauscher. This actually is also a civil rights issue. The policy is archaic.
April 8, 2009 2:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
co-sign
April 8, 2009 2:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Patrick Murphy is my Congressman, we're both ex 82nd Airborne, but I was in long before he was born. Murphy took a long held Republican seat and the Republicans here are quite besides themselves.
He's labeled a Blue Dog but so far he seems tepid at Blue Dogism, certainly not as rabid as some of the others. This district is purple, so if he takes the lead in repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell', he'll take some heat from the wingnuts and Republicans who want that seat back.
April 8, 2009 2:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sorry, but someone's got to say it:
Other than that, I co-sign with Amelie.
April 8, 2009 4:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think it will take more than a few congresspeople to finally make this needed change.
Without the Joint Chiefs and area Commanders strongly pushing change, Congress won't act.
Since that is unlikely now, I guess I agree with Gates and Obama that this something to leave in the background until the Defense Budget and Obama's other priority programs are dealt with.
One thing they should do, it make Don't Ask, Don't Tell far less prevalent (in the sense of forcing out members from service). This can be done by quiet administrative means, but senior commanders rejecting separation actions, and making sure that no service member is separated with less than honorable discharges even when they openly admit to their orientation. I'm suggesting "Don't Ask, Don't tell too openly, Be Tolerant" is a policy that doesn't require a legal change to the UCMJ. Reassignment of gay/lesbian members to other units is another alternative that should be widely practiced, since acceptance varies very widely from unit to unit. Finally, a 'vital to mission' exception should be considered, particularly in regard to separation from service.
April 8, 2009 4:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's about time. Gays ARE in the military - let them openly serve with pride!
April 9, 2009 8:54 PM | Reply | Permalink