Joe Sudbay Asks DADT Question
Joe Sudbay of AMERICAblog sat down with President Barack Obama in the White House on Wednesday afternoon. Sudbay asked the President key questions on the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell."
Asking the President if he thought DADT was unconstitutional, Sudbay also expressed the frustration and disappointment felt by many in the LGBT community over the Administration’s handling of repeal.
Read the full transcript of the roundtable interview and see the DADT question-and-answer below:
Q We’ve been more than willing to offer that. We’ve certainly been more than willing to offer than from AMERICAblog, particularly on issues related to the LGBT community, which, you know, there is a certain amount of disillusionment and disappointment in our community right now.
And one of the things I’d like to ask you -- and I think it’s a simple yes or no question too -- is do you think that “don’t ask, don’t tell” is unconstitutional?
THE PRESIDENT: It’s not a simple yes or no question, because I’m not sitting on the Supreme Court. And I’ve got to be careful, as President of the United States, to make sure that when I’m making pronouncements about laws that Congress passed I don’t do so just off the top of my head.
I think that -- but here’s what I can say. I think “don’t ask, don’t tell” is wrong. I think it doesn’t serve our national security, which is why I want it overturned. I think that the best way to overturn it is for Congress to act. In theory, we should be able to get 60 votes out of the Senate. The House has already passed it. And I’ve gotten the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to say that they think this policy needs to be overturned -- something that’s unprecedented.
And so my hope and expectation is, is that we get this law passed. It is not just harmful to the brave men and women who are serving, and in some cases have been discharged unjustly, but it doesn’t serve our interests -- and I speak as Commander-in-Chief on that issue.
Let me go to the larger issue, though, Joe, about disillusionment and disappointment. I guess my attitude is that we have been as vocal, as supportive of the LGBT community as any President in history. I’ve appointed more openly gay people to more positions in this government than any President in history. We have moved forward on a whole range of issues that were directly under my control, including, for example, hospital visitation.
On “don’t ask, don’t tell,” I have been as systematic and methodical in trying to move that agenda forward as I could be given my legal constraints, given that Congress had explicitly passed a law designed to tie my hands on the issue.
And so, I’ll be honest with you, I don’t think that the disillusionment is justified.
Now, I say that as somebody who appreciates that the LGBT community very legitimately feels these issues in very personal terms. So it’s not my place to counsel patience. One of my favorite pieces of literature is “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” and Dr. King had to battle people counseling patience and time. And he rightly said that time is neutral. And things don’t automatically get better unless people push to try to get things better.
So I don’t begrudge the LGBT community pushing, but the flip side of it is that this notion somehow that this administration has been a source of disappointment to the LGBT community, as opposed to a stalwart ally of the LGBT community, I think is wrong.
10-28-10 By Paul DeMiglio, Senior Communications Manager |
3 Comments
Comments for this entry are closed.Bill on October 29, 2010 at 01.51 pm
If ending DADT were the battle of Antietam in the Civil War, our President is behaving more like a McClellan than a Lincoln. On September 21, 2010 he committed the troops from Congress and failed to prevail. Since then, by failing to use all the resources available to him (the court case) he is pulling his last punch and will probably fail to win the battle. His retreat and promise to do better in the future will probably occur during the Lame Duck in late November and December 2010. An opportunity to win the war now will have been lost, most likely to be followed by many more years of struggle and casualties before final victory. Maybe the President has a secret plan to issue an Emancipation Proclamation after this indecisive battle, but I doubt it. Maybe the growing opposition (much again from the South) to the President’s strength will not materialize on November 2 next week, but I doubt it. There is ample reason for disillusionment among those hoping for and working for an end to DADT. I hope I’m wrong, but “hope” seems more appropriate for campaigning than for governing.
John Mokricky in San Francisco on October 28, 2010 at 05.23 pm
I also believe that disillusionment is justified. What seems like a million years ago, I joined the Navy in 1959 thinking that I would become straight. During my four year stint, I realized that I was a gay man. I strongly support SLDN in their efforts to have DADT repealed. During this election campaign, I have sent several emails to the Democratic Committee that I would not donate one cent until such time as DADT is repealed. I have become tired of politicians asking for Gay support and giving very little to us in return. Personally, I don’t think that President Obama has done all that he could to help repeal this terrible law.
Michelle C in San Jose, CA on October 28, 2010 at 03.51 pm
“And so, I’ll be honest with you, I don’t think that the disillusionment is justified.”
I do. I left the Army after serving 5 years on active duty in late 1993. When I joined the Army at only 17 years old, I had no idea who I was. It wasn’t until I finally came to accept myself that I realized that the Army policy was unacceptable. That coincided with the election of President Clinton, who promised us he would repeal the ban. 6 months later, we got DADT. There is no honor in forcing someone to live their life a lie, so I left the service. 17 years later, it hasn’t changed.
This isn’t something that we should accept the President’s counseling of patience on. It has been too long coming, too many good soldiers have lost their careers, and how many other soldiers have lost their lives in combat because their good leaders are gone?
In a time when MST (Military Sexual Trauma) is such an issue (enough it even got its own acronym!), we can’t count on our military to do anything about the estimated 40% of women who are raped or sexually assaulted by fellow troops. As long as our military cares more about sexual orientation than sexual assault, there can be no justice for anyone.