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As I wrote on May 29 2009 here at Many Faces of Barack in a piece entitled Obama Deals Gays Another Blow, It was Obama’s administration that seemed to be stalling and not moving forward on a campaign promise to end DADT:
Fresh off of California’s Supreme Court ruling on Prop 8 upholding the constitutionality of the amendment, the White House seems to be stalling or not moving on “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs was asked twice during Thursday’s press briefing about the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. Both times, he reverted to his standard talking points on the subject.
When would the White House push Congress to repeal the policy, asked on reporter?
Gibbs reiterated the president’s support for repeal, then added, “He does not think the policy is working in the national interests and is working with the Joint Chiefs, the Pentagon, and others to bring about a change in that policy.”
Another reporter noted that although Gibbs keeps saying the president is working for repeal, he had been told by staffers for the chair of the subcommittee (probably the military personnel subcommittee) that the House repeal bill isn’t likely to come up for a vote until next year.
“Sometimes the legislative process doesn’t move that quickly,” Gibbs responded.
In other words this isn’t an issue we’re going to press right now, if ever, due to the fact the we’re busy stealing from future generations and taking over private business — our soft socialist agenda in more important than you!
I’m not sure why gays are putting so much stock in Obama and expecting that he’ll champion their cause? He doesn’t hold their views on gay marriage and if I’m reading the President right, and I’m batting around 800 so far, the DADT campaign promise was all politics with little or no actual fire about the issue. Sure his administration might vist the topic but I doubt it goes much further than that!
News today is that the Court will not hear the challenge and it was the administration who said the lower court got the ruling right:
The court said it will not hear an appeal from former Army Capt. James Pietrangelo II, who was dismissed under the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.
The federal appeals court in Boston earlier threw out a lawsuit filed by Pietrangelo and 11 other veterans. He was the only member of that group who asked the high court to rule that the Clinton-era policy is unconstitutional.
In court papers, the administration said the appeals court ruled correctly in this case when it found that “don’t ask, don’t tell” is “rationally related to the government’s legitimate interest in military discipline and cohesion.”
During last year’s campaign, President Barack Obama indicated he supported the eventual repeal of the policy, but he has made no specific move to do so since taking office in January.
Shikha Dalmia has a pretty good piece on this issue over at Reason.com
