Frontlines: The Latest from OutServe-SLDN

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” at the Debates

Photo by Charles Krupa, Associated Press Last week Democrat Presidential nominees gathered to debate . . . and every one of them affirmed their desire to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” On Tuesday, the Republican candidates gathered as well . . . . and all affirmed their desire to keep in place the ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual service personnel. Whomever the eventual candidates will be, the American people have a stark choice before them. Perhaps even more disturbing than their support for “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was the clumsy and seemingly clueless way in which many of the Republican candidates fielded the question about open service. Mike Huckabee, Former Governor of Arkansas, said, “I think it's already covered by the Uniform Code of Military Conduct … it's about conduct; it's not about attitude.” Wrong, Mike. DA, DT is a Congressional Law, not a part of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The UCMJ is about conduct, but DA, DT is about mere status. Just ask Jason Knight, who was just discharged for daring to serve openly in Kuwait. Other Republicans also seemed out of touch on the question. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani punted, telling CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, “I don’t think this would be the right time to raise these issues.” Former Governor Mitt Romney (R-MA) acknowledged supporting a repeal of the law earlier in his career, saying that, “No, actually when I first heard of the ‘Don't Ask, Don't Tell’ policy I thought it sounded awfully silly and didn't think that'd be very effective, and I turned out to be wrong.” Today, however, Romney supports maintaining the ban. “It's been the policy now in the military for, what, 10,15 years? But who knows with Romney, maybe if we wait another five minutes he’ll flip-flop again? Then there was Senator John McCain’s (R-AZ) cryptic response to the question, “I think it would be a terrific mistake to even reopen the issue. It is working, my friends. The policy is working.” What exactly does THAT mean? Gays and lesbians are being drummed out of the service, so the policy must be working? National Security is being placed at risk, so the policy must be working? Working how, Senator? Working for whom? The truth of the matter is that there is that if Republican leaders believe this law is working, then their definition of ‘working’ is fundamentally flawed. As our military struggles to find qualified troops and our fighting forces are stretched to a near breaking point, turning away talented and skilled gay Americans is a detriment to our national security. Eight out of ten Americans understand the importance of repealing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’ It is unfortunate that the Republican candidates for president do not. They are out of touch with their constituents and out of step with our country’s best interests. - Victor Maldonado

Labels: 2008, Hillary Clinton, in the news, McCain, Mike Huckabee, new hampshire, white house

06-08-07