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a DADT bill introduced in the Senate yet, but a number of senators are working on a bipartisan approach to get DADT repealed," Senator Reid said in a statement Tuesday.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?

DADT Repeal Won't Happen in Congress

The Advocate reports:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid speaking at a press conference Monday said he has no plans to introduce a bill to repeal "don't ask, don't tell" in the Senate. "I haven't identified any sponsors," he said. "My hope is that it can be done administratively."

A Democratic aide later clarified that Reid was speaking about the possibility of using an executive order to suspend discharges or perhaps halting enforcement of the policy by changing departmental regulations within the Department of Defense.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs has continually said in recent months that President Barack Obama believes the only "durable solution" to repealing the military's gay ban would be to do so through legislative action.

Senator Reid also indicated that he is waiting on the House of Representatives to take action on the bill that was introduced there in March. "If the House moves on this," he said, "I would be happy to take it up."

John Aravosis at Americablog comments:

So there you have it. The Democratic party at its homophobic, spineless, cynical best. Obama won't do squat on Don't Ask Don't Tell, he says it's the Congress' job. Harry Reid won't do squat on Don't Ask Don't Tell, he says it's Obama's job. And neither Reid nor Obama plan on doing anything to make anything happen on this issue.

It's not a priority for either of them. They'd rather pass a health care reform bill that excludes gay families from benefits. Oh yeah, didn't you know that? Do you honestly think Obama/Congress' health care reform bill is going to include gay families in their definition of spouses and dependents? Please. . . .

PS Note how in the article Senator Reid says Obama does in fact have administrative ways of, for all intents and purposes, repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell. Which 100% contradicts what Obama and company are telling us.

And speaking of the Democratic National Committee's $1,000-a-plate fundraiser scheduled for June 25 in honor of the 40th anniversary of Stonewall, Aravosis raises a very pertinent question:

Maybe someone should ask Barney Frank, Tammy Baldwin and Jared Polis [the three openly gay Congresspeople - Russ.] why they're still listed as hosts for the event, and why they've been too busy the past four days to say boo about Obama's betrayal of their own community.

David Mixner's already pulled out, and Aravosis says Andy Towle of Towleroad blog has too. Be very interesting to see what the elected gays in Congress do now that our community has been stabbed in the back by this Administration.