Comments on: Don’t Ask, Don’t Hold Your Breath

By: Kristie

Kristie — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:51:28 +0000

RichardRush, you are correct. Obama could sign a “stop loss order” which would put a halt to the pursuit of any further investigations and dismissals of service members during a time of war. He could have done that on his first day in office but he doesn’t seem to have the moral courage to do the right thing unless it’s going to get him something.

If he signed the stop loss order it would halt the threat to gay service members for the moment and then he could give a nudge to congress about making repeal of DADT a priority. It’s not as if they would have a fight on their hands from constituents since a vast majority of the public (even the conservative public) thinks that DADT is a pointless policy that needs to go!

By: Richard Rush

Richard Rush — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:34:37 +0000

My understanding is that Obama does NOT have the authority to end DADT by executive order, but that he DOES have the authority to impose a moratorium on the discharge (firing) of gay soldiers. Is that correct?

By: John

John — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:26:22 +0000

Obama lied. Why is anyone surprised?

By: Kayla

Kayla — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:58:40 +0000

Can he not just sign an executive order? How much political capital does that take? I think he’s stalling until he gets elected again. Giving the gays rights might turn away some votes, after all. http://www.newsy.com/videos/obama_i_will_end_don_t_ask_don_t_tell

By: Burr

Burr — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:14:14 +0000

Do these guys look at the polls at all? Getting rid of DADT would win them serious points and show they aren’t a bunch of do-nothings. How can they pass up such a slam dunk?

Democrats are morons, period.

By: Leonard Drake

Leonard Drake — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:31:51 +0000

I don’t know whether I am actually at the point of switching parties (from either Democratic to Independent, or Democratic to Green), but…

I, for one, am growing sick and tired of being used for my “capital” at election time, promised the LGBT community will not be forgotten by the Democratic party at the Federal level, and when a wonderful opportunity now arrives, “there is no indication that [Obama]‘s going to spend his political capital in that way.” Once again, the LGBT community has been swept back into the political closet of “‘that’ way.”

When will this change? If DADTDP is NOT acted upon soon, I fear interest will fade in the next Congressional session, as the focus of our Congressional Representatives and Senators will turn toward reelection efforts and not actual “representation.”

By: Richard W. Fitch

Richard W. Fitch — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:15:31 +0000

With approximately 70% of the voters in favor of repeal and the military printing op-eds both in MSM and their own journals calling for repeal, how much ‘political capital’ does Obama need to persuade Congress that DADT no longer serves any viable purpose ….. as though it ever did?????

By: Lindoro Almaviva

Lindoro Almaviva — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:09:06 +0000

OK, let me try to understand this:

We are in a time of war…
The commanders in those war fronts are seriously understaffed…
The commanders of said war fronts are begging for more soldiers…
The military will continue dismissing soldiers because they are gay…

Makes sense to me.

[/sarcasm]