Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: No Applause From the Chiefs
“We finally strengthened our laws to protect against crimes driven by hate. 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. It’s the right thing to do. “
– President Barack Obama, State of the Union, January 27, 2010
President Barack Obama, State of the Union Address, Jan. 27, 2010
In the post-game analysis of the State of the Union address on ABC, George Stephanopoulos made a point of replaying the stone-faced reaction from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, when their Commander-in-Chief announced his intention to push for action in Congress to end discrimination against gays in the military.
[ABC also read a lot into Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s reaction to President Obama’s attack on the recent SCOTUS decision on campaign finance law, but that’s another story.]
Many people have forgotten was the original intent of the of the 1993 DA/DT “compromise” was not to enshrine discrimination, but to come to an accommodation that recognized the reality that tens of thousands of homosexuals serve in our armed forces, with distinction and dedication. And the idea was to allow that to continue, so long as they kept their sex lives private. Instead the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law that was supposed to allow gays to serve honorably and be protected from “witch hunts” was perverted into a vehicle for continuing to drum out well-qualified servicemen and women — not because of their conduct, but solely because of their sexual orientation.
Joint Chiefs of Staff, State of the Union, ABC News
But back to the Chiefs. As Barack Obama said he would attempt to fulfill his campaign pledge to lift the ban on gays by working with congress, the Joint Chiefs, lead by Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen, were an island of stoic non-reaction surrounded by a sea of applause. While the four-stars kept their hands uniformly folded on their laps, their civilian boss Robert Gates was on his feet applauding HIS boss, President Obama.
And that, by the way, is exactly how it should be. The nation’s top military advisors are not the Joint CHEERLEADERS of Staff. It is not their role to publicly applaud or deride the political policies of the civilian leadership. Their job is to salute smartly, and carry out their orders. If they feel the President, or other civilian leaders, are charting a disastrous course, they have the duty to tell them privately, and to even resign if they cannot faithfully implement those polices in good conscience.
Robert Gates, Defense Secretary, Jan 27, 2010
Adm. Mullen, the senior advisor, has already indicated he’s ready to support the change, if and when Congress acts. Although he has made pretty clear through his actions and tepid words of support, that he feels he has bigger problems on his plate at the moment. But the President has spoken. His commanders know which way the wind is blowing, and its time to think about setting an example of non-discrimination, from the top of the chain of command.
Defense Secretary Gates has ready been looking for a way to ease the ban, but it’s not easy. The law is pretty clear. Back when President Clinton first took office in 1992, discrimination against gays was a Pentagon policy, not a Congressionally mandated law-of-the land. The UCMJ simply stated, “Homosexuality is incompatible with military service.” When President Clinton tried to acknowledge the reality that was demonstrably untrue, he was outmaneuvered by opponents on Capitol Hill and ended up with a law that boxed in the Pentagon for almost two decades.
This SHOULD be the year that changes. But with dysfunctional Senate that no longer operates on a simple majority vote for anything, who knows if 60 votes can be found?
Tags: Congress, Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Gays, Joint Chiefs, Obama, State of the Union
