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Politico’s Ben Smith: ‘If’ or ‘When’ on ‘Don’t Ask’ Repeal?
April 27, 2009
Categories: White House
'If' or 'when' on 'Don't Ask' repeal?
The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network's Aubrey Sarvis pens an open letter to Obama, to be published tomorrow, pushing him to move on repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" -- and parsing Robert Gates rather carefully:
"On the campaign trail you said repeatedly the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' law should go. On the White House website you pledge to get rid of it. But since November, you've been silent. In response to recent questions about 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' your Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Admiral Mullen said 'I haven't gotten any direction.' Your Defense Secretary said, 'If we do it,' meaning if the law is repealed.
"Mr. President, we thought we were talking about how and when to do this, not if. The far right opposition is now cleverly framing the debate to box you in and keep this discriminatory law on the books, even daring you to act against their wishes. If you remain silent, it will soon be OK on your watch, to continue firing gay linguists and intelligence analysts.
"You are about to submit your administration's defense budget to Congress. This is the logical place to kill 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' If you don't, you will soon be approving the firing of men and women for being gay. That infamous law will become your infamous law, your albatross."
