Latest News
06-01-09
By Roxana Tiron
Posted: 06/01/09 07:40 AM [ET]
Gay-rights activists are pressing the White House to align Pentagon leaders with President Obama's goal to repeal a controversial ban on gays serving openly in the military.
The push comes amid growing anxiety that Obama only has a short window to charge ahead with the repeal of the controversial Clinton-era policy before his attention switches to campaigning for a second term.
Congress would have to write legislation to repeal the ban, which means that Obama would have to start engaging lawmakers over the coming months for legislation to be written and passed by the end of 2010.
Supporters of the repeal in recent days have pointed out that Obama's senior military team has not been in line with the president's decision to overturn the policy known as Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
"So far his senior military team is not on the same page with the president and has not aligned with him yet," said Aubrey Sarvis, the executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), a nonprofit organization dedicated to repealing the ban.
"Or if they are, it is certainly not apparent," he added.
Obama's top military adviser Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently said that the Pentagon would comply if Congress repeals the ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military, but added the U.S. armed forces are already stretched thin fighting two wars.
Pressed for his personal view, Mullen declined to provide it. "My view, quite frankly, isn't important here."
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said recently that if the ban were lifted, it would be difficult for the military to restructure its units to accommodate homosexuals.
Meanwhile, national security adviser James Jones, a retired Marine general, also has reacted coolly to the prospect of lifting the ban, arguing that "we have a lot on our plate right now." Pentagon officials favor a measured and deliberate way of analyzing the implications of a repeal.
The recent coming-out by dozens of gay West Point graduates, including Arabic language specialist Lt. Daniel Choi, is highlighting the conflicting policies and putting pressure on Congress and the White House to make good on promises to repeal them.
The fate of another officer, Air Force Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach, hangs in the balance after an acquaintance last year told Fehrenbach's bosses he is gay. Fehrenbach is in the process of being kicked out of the military after an 18-year career - two years short of retirement from service. Fehrenbach will be in Washington on Monday to consult with his lawyers and possibly pay some visits to Capitol Hill, said Sarvis.
The repeal issue was amplified last week in Los Angeles during an Obama fundraiser where protesters highlighted the need for repeal during a demonstration on another equality issue: a California Supreme Court ruling that upheld the voter-approved gay marriage ban in the state.
"Despite Barack Obama's pledges as a candidate and president, there is no discernible movement on repealing the military's 'don't ask, don't tell' policy or the Defense of Marriage Act. Both seem more cruelly discriminatory by the day," Frank Rich recently wrote in a New York Times op-ed.
The administration has drawn criticism from gay and lesbian activists for not moving quickly enough to repeal the policy, which was put into effect by President Clinton in 1993.
Democratic activists and fundraisers met more than a week ago in Texas to coordinate an online campaign known as the Dallas Principles to prod the president.
"We face a historic opportunity to obtain our full civil rights; this is the moment for change," the group said in a mission statement. "No delay. No excuses."
In an interesting twist, Clinton on Friday expressed optimism that the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy he helped enact will come off the books.
"I think that time will lead to a repeal of this ban," Clinton said at an event in Canada, which also was attended by former President Bush, who opposes a repeal.
Americans' views about allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military have undergone a major shift: a new Gallup poll found that 69 percent support gays being able to serve in the U.S. military.
The White House has repeatedly assured gay-rights activists that the president wants to see a repeal done in this Congress. But Sarvis said that the window to get it accomplished is a small one of several months this year.
In order to get the ball rolling both in the administration and in Congress it would be key to "see where the alignment is with the military officers," Sarvis said.
Mullen and Gates know "very well" Obama's position, Sarvis charged. "We have not heard them say they share that objective. It would be helpful if they supported it."
SLDN is also pressing the White House to come up with a concrete plan on how they plan to approach the repeal. The anxiety within the communities who want to see the repeal is palpable because of the absence of a plan, Sarvis said.
Adding to the anxiety is the fact that Obama only has about five months to tackle the issue in the current Congress. Sarvis said that so far the Pentagon did not include a request to repeal the law in a lengthy legislative package it traditionally sends to Congress after the administration makes the official budget request for the upcoming fiscal year.
Even without the repeal in the legislative package, Pentagon officials and the White House would still have only until approximately the end of fall to set the basis for Congress to repeal the existing law.
The Pentagon starts the preparations for the fiscal 2011 budget request in the fall, Sarvis said, and including the repeal in those preparations would be essential. That way when the budget request arrives on the Hill in February, the Senate and House defense authorizers can tackle it as part of the defense policy bill.
The Hill: Activists See Window Closing for Gays in the Military
By Roxana Tiron
Posted: 06/01/09 07:40 AM [ET]
Gay-rights activists are pressing the White House to align Pentagon leaders with President Obama's goal to repeal a controversial ban on gays serving openly in the military.
The push comes amid growing anxiety that Obama only has a short window to charge ahead with the repeal of the controversial Clinton-era policy before his attention switches to campaigning for a second term.
Congress would have to write legislation to repeal the ban, which means that Obama would have to start engaging lawmakers over the coming months for legislation to be written and passed by the end of 2010.
Supporters of the repeal in recent days have pointed out that Obama's senior military team has not been in line with the president's decision to overturn the policy known as Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
"So far his senior military team is not on the same page with the president and has not aligned with him yet," said Aubrey Sarvis, the executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), a nonprofit organization dedicated to repealing the ban.
"Or if they are, it is certainly not apparent," he added.
Obama's top military adviser Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently said that the Pentagon would comply if Congress repeals the ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military, but added the U.S. armed forces are already stretched thin fighting two wars.
Pressed for his personal view, Mullen declined to provide it. "My view, quite frankly, isn't important here."
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said recently that if the ban were lifted, it would be difficult for the military to restructure its units to accommodate homosexuals.
Meanwhile, national security adviser James Jones, a retired Marine general, also has reacted coolly to the prospect of lifting the ban, arguing that "we have a lot on our plate right now." Pentagon officials favor a measured and deliberate way of analyzing the implications of a repeal.
The recent coming-out by dozens of gay West Point graduates, including Arabic language specialist Lt. Daniel Choi, is highlighting the conflicting policies and putting pressure on Congress and the White House to make good on promises to repeal them.
The fate of another officer, Air Force Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach, hangs in the balance after an acquaintance last year told Fehrenbach's bosses he is gay. Fehrenbach is in the process of being kicked out of the military after an 18-year career - two years short of retirement from service. Fehrenbach will be in Washington on Monday to consult with his lawyers and possibly pay some visits to Capitol Hill, said Sarvis.
The repeal issue was amplified last week in Los Angeles during an Obama fundraiser where protesters highlighted the need for repeal during a demonstration on another equality issue: a California Supreme Court ruling that upheld the voter-approved gay marriage ban in the state.
"Despite Barack Obama's pledges as a candidate and president, there is no discernible movement on repealing the military's 'don't ask, don't tell' policy or the Defense of Marriage Act. Both seem more cruelly discriminatory by the day," Frank Rich recently wrote in a New York Times op-ed.
The administration has drawn criticism from gay and lesbian activists for not moving quickly enough to repeal the policy, which was put into effect by President Clinton in 1993.
Democratic activists and fundraisers met more than a week ago in Texas to coordinate an online campaign known as the Dallas Principles to prod the president.
"We face a historic opportunity to obtain our full civil rights; this is the moment for change," the group said in a mission statement. "No delay. No excuses."
In an interesting twist, Clinton on Friday expressed optimism that the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy he helped enact will come off the books.
"I think that time will lead to a repeal of this ban," Clinton said at an event in Canada, which also was attended by former President Bush, who opposes a repeal.
Americans' views about allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military have undergone a major shift: a new Gallup poll found that 69 percent support gays being able to serve in the U.S. military.
The White House has repeatedly assured gay-rights activists that the president wants to see a repeal done in this Congress. But Sarvis said that the window to get it accomplished is a small one of several months this year.
In order to get the ball rolling both in the administration and in Congress it would be key to "see where the alignment is with the military officers," Sarvis said.
Mullen and Gates know "very well" Obama's position, Sarvis charged. "We have not heard them say they share that objective. It would be helpful if they supported it."
SLDN is also pressing the White House to come up with a concrete plan on how they plan to approach the repeal. The anxiety within the communities who want to see the repeal is palpable because of the absence of a plan, Sarvis said.
Adding to the anxiety is the fact that Obama only has about five months to tackle the issue in the current Congress. Sarvis said that so far the Pentagon did not include a request to repeal the law in a lengthy legislative package it traditionally sends to Congress after the administration makes the official budget request for the upcoming fiscal year.
Even without the repeal in the legislative package, Pentagon officials and the White House would still have only until approximately the end of fall to set the basis for Congress to repeal the existing law.
The Pentagon starts the preparations for the fiscal 2011 budget request in the fall, Sarvis said, and including the repeal in those preparations would be essential. That way when the budget request arrives on the Hill in February, the Senate and House defense authorizers can tackle it as part of the defense policy bill.
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