Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Bother

President Obama took on health care reform like Bill Clinton, and failed like Bill Clinton. Now he is poised to repeat Clinton's attempt to remove the ban on homosexuals serving in the military. Clinton instituted the current "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, under which homosexuals can serve so long as they are not "openly" gay.

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has taken steps to end the policy and allow openly homosexual men and women to serve. Gates is backed by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mike Mullen.

Secretary Gates is right to take this action. I have yet to hear a good reason why homosexuals should not have the same opportunity to serve this country as anyone else. The reasons frequently offered seem to me to be impressionistic at best.

Republican senators said they worry that a change in the law could undermine morale, disrupt unit cohesion and affect recruiting, especially at a time when the military is fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

This seems to rest on the simple idea that non-homosexuals will be uncomfortable with openly homosexual comrades. But there are very many reasons why one solider may initially be uncomfortable serving next to another. Surely it is one of the duties of a serviceman to get past all that and judge his fellows by their conduct as soldiers, sailors, etc.

Right or wrong, it is not going to be easy to push this change through. So far, all Gates is proposing is a year-long study by the Pentagon and perhaps, in the meantime, a loosening of the standards as to what constitutes being "openly" gay. Opposition in congress is strong, and includes many prominent Democrats. This strikes me as a recipe for another slowly disintegrating initiative.

I gather that the President could change the policy all at once with an executive order. If ever there was an occasion for that kind of thing, this would be it. But, like Clinton, President Obama doesn't seem to have that in him.

Comments

[piese auto]

I do not believe that sexual discrimination was a problem for the army. Obama must be very careful with the policy promoted.

[asigurari auto]

The same article with the same answer. I wonder if he still is somehow a mistake.

[Mark Anderson]

Gosh Ken, I guess everything is an Obama mistake. At the very least he is opening up the issue. Where are Republicans on this issue? Where is Ken Blanchard on this issue?, don't just post opinions of others. As a former South Dakotan, turning 57 this week, and a college professor, now located in Florida, where are the Devil's advocates on issues like this in this blog? Where is Haiti on this blog? Where is the continued Cheyenne Reservation power outage on this blog? Is there any real debate on this blog or is it like Fox news?

[KB]

Mark: I can't be all things to all people on all topics, but you might at least acknowledge what I have said. I say exactly where I am on the issue. I write above: "Secretary Gates is right to take this action. I have yet to hear a good reason why homosexuals should not have the same opportunity to serve this country as anyone else". That's where Ken Blanchard is.