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Obama To Ask Congress To 'Change' DADT...At 'Some Time'
The Obama administration's plans for Don't Ask, Don't Tell are pretty clear at this point. They will call on Congress to repeal the law...in some way...at some point in time. And not a day sooner.
Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he is working on an assessment of what -- if any -- impact overturning "don't ask, don't tell" policies would mean for the military and its culture. In the meantime, the Pentagon plans to follow the existing rules, which say gays and lesbians can serve in the military if they do not disclose their sexuality or engage in homosexual behavior.Got that?"The president has made his strategic intent very clear, that it's his intent at some point in time to ask Congress to change this law," Mullen said. "I think it's important to also know that this is the law, this isn't a policy. And for the rules to change, a law has to be changed."
Meanwhile, the Associated Press breathlessly headlines their article "Mullen: Military to comply if gay ban law changes". Good to know they're not considering mutiny.
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Josh
Matt
Eric
Brian
A day of sarcasm at this site. That's about the extent of what you have to offer. What you're too young to remember is when Bill Clinton derailed his presidency in 1993m a month in by making gays in the military front and center on the agenda. His favorable ratings went into the 40s and the military was threatening mutiny. So when it's done, it needs to be done right.
But in the blogosphere, nukes for Iran and N. Korea don't matter. Health care doesn't matter, global warming doesn't matter, SCOTUS nominee doesn't matter. The only thing that matters, the one at the front of the line is DADT, that and torture.
May 25, 2009 3:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Have you tried more coffee?
May 25, 2009 4:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
No, the man's right. If I wanted to read some whiney screed about what a disappointment Obama is, I certainly wouldn't come on this site. There is no doubt that Clinton derailed his Presidency by listening to such bellyaching as the commenter observes, and it produced the Gingrich majority of 1994.
Best way to wreck the Obama Presidency early (which more and more people on this site want, to my stupefication), is for him to make gays is cause celebre.
May 25, 2009 11:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
A day of sarcasm? what are you talking about. This is one of the few stories Brian Beutler has written about that contained some sort of snark. Believe me, if Elana Shor was still working here, every piece of news that would come out of TPMDC would be loaded with snarks and sarcasm.
Brian on a future note, lose the sarcasm. It's not good for a news story.
May 25, 2009 4:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
I disagree. Abundant sarcasm has been needed of late. Civil liberties have been all too optional in this administration - pragmatically, of course.
May 25, 2009 4:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Once again I disagree with you (like I do on almost everything that comes out of your mouth)There's absolutely no need for sarcasm in journalism, it brings the person's standards. Plus I like just reading the facts and not snark.
May 25, 2009 5:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
I consider blogs commentary. It would never have entered my head to assume that TPM is objective.
May 25, 2009 5:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't really call this place "commentary". Daily Kos and Glenn Greenwald would fall into that category. I do believe that TPM (atleast the DC and Muckracker part of the site) is a place where you get news at. So yeah I do find this place objective. Yeah this place is for liberals, but it's not a shill for the party. The things I call commentary would be the comments at each story and TPMCafe.
May 25, 2009 7:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Is there some GD reason that the TPM staffers let Congress off the hook all of the GD time? Is there a shared philosophy that our government is actually one of an elected king? That's so Bush.
May 25, 2009 3:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Explain exactly how TPM is letting Congress off the hook? I'm not seeing it in this posting.
May 25, 2009 4:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Congress can actually INITIATE legislation so give me one good reason for this site not dealing with that fact. Obama keeps saying this--the legislature can take up the task. He certainly isn't standing in the way of it.
This is so annoying. Does every one of the damned issues facing this country require Obama's initiation? What good is our pass/fail legislature? It is sickening.
May 25, 2009 5:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
You make a good point, but it helps if the President gets the ball rolling. But as you read at TPMDC awhile back a couple of Congressman have come up with a bill that would repeal DADT. They would be PA Congressmen and military vets Patrick Murphy and Joe Sestak.
May 25, 2009 5:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Then this should have been in the story and it was not.
May 25, 2009 5:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well of should of been. I mean the story I was talking about was posted on TPMDC so Brian should of mentioned it in this posting.
May 25, 2009 5:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree. The problem is really the party leadership not Obama. Unfortunately, he's representing them all too well.
May 25, 2009 4:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh, please. You apparently prefer anarchy since neither party matches your high goals for human and political behavior.
May 25, 2009 5:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Memorial Day question - so we don't ask or tell. Does that continue after death? Do they get evicted from the cemetary or lose the flag if someone finds out?
May 25, 2009 4:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think the rule there is once you're in the ground you must be caught in the act before proceedings are started.
May 25, 2009 5:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Dont Ask, Dont Tell: DADT
These are soldier, not clerks, not dancers.
They have a job that requires life and death fights that not all us can do.
DADT is a distraction. The point is we must have our best out there because our counrties security is the result.
We are not to big to fail.
May 25, 2009 10:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
keep banging the drum on dadt.
that is after all the strategy on getting dadt changed. like barney frank has said, they can't move forward on the issue until next year after there has been an opportunity to lay the groundwork (and build the groundswell). neither congress nor the white house can take the lead on this (and take on dod) unless and until they have enough fervent support and lobbying to get it done right.
May 26, 2009 10:23 AM | Reply | Permalink