Reid: "We Can Find the Time" to Repeal DADT

Lieutenant Dan Choi, West Point grad, trained Arabic linguist -
fired by President Obama as unfit for the United States Army

In a stunning about-face, and a backhanded slap at our foot-dragging "fierce advocate," Senate Majority leader Harry Reid today came out for DADT repeal, practically begging the President to grow a pair and fucking lead like he promised he would. From the Advocate:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid issued a clarification of his comments Monday that there were no Senate sponsors in line to introduce legislation to repeal "don't ask, don't tell," saying instead that, in fact, "a number of senators" are working on repeal.

"We do not have a DADT bill introduced in the Senate yet, but a number of senators are working on a bipartisan approach to get DADT repealed," Senator Reid said in a statement Tuesday. "We would welcome a legislative proposal from the White House on repeal so as to provide clear guidance on what the president would like to see and when. With presidential leadership and direction, I believe we can find the time to get repeal done in this Congress. We need all the troops we can get right now."

Reid's comments are the first intimations from congressional leadership on a time frame for accomplishing repeal, and are in line with those made earlier this year by Rep. Barney Frank. "I believe we should and will do 'don't ask, don't tell' next year," Frank told Roll Call in April. "We haven't done the preliminary work, the preparatory work. It would be a mistake to bring it up without a lot of lobbying and a lot of conversation."

In response, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network issued this call for the President to address DADT at tomorrow's memo signing:

In the wake of the frustration, and in some quarters ire, of the LGBT community at how the Obama Administration is handling public policy issues that affect our lives, the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network encourages the President to set forth his plan and timeline tomorrow for repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

"There is no need to run from the issue of gays in the military anymore," said Aubrey Sarvis, SLDN executive director. "This is not 1993. The American public, including 58 percent of conservatives, overwhelmingly supports repeal, as are the younger generation of military leaders. They understand firing someone because of their sexual orientation is not only flat wrong but harms national security. It won't be easy to replace Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach, a highly decorated F-15E Aviator who has given 18 years of his life to serving this country."

The President should publicly endorse legislation (The Military Readiness Enhancement Act) that ends "Don't Ask, Don' Tell" and replaces it with a policy of nondiscrimination. Or, he should put his campaign rhetoric into writing by drafting his own legislation outlining precisely how to end DADT. . . .

Achieving repeal must be done in a measured, strategic and smart way. But this does not mean there is time for indecision or inaction. The sense of urgency is real. More than 250 service members have been fired by the President since January and hundreds more have left the services because of the DADT law.

And Pam Spaulding notes:

They can find the time for this. I want all of the people out there who have been bleating that Congress and the President simply don't have time for these issues, with the economy, international conflicts, health care reform, etc. The head of the Senate has just said they have the time to work on repeal of a policy that places our security at risk. After a Salon expose on the number of skinheads, Neo-Nazis and white supremacists filling the ranks of the enlisted while people like Dan Choi are given the boot, there is no better time to move on DADT. This administration's credibility is at risk.

Do you remember Obama's handwritten note to Lt. Sandy Tsao (now also fired from the military), last month?