A modest compromise on 'Don't Ask Don't Tell'

Advocates want Don't Ask, Don't Tell repealed this year, while military leaders say they need time to determine how best to implement the repeal. We can address both wishes by passing the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell this year, and delaying its implementation until next January. This meets the desires of repeal advocates to rescind the legislation in a timely manner, and the needs of the Pentagon to do it right.

Why pass the repeal this year instead of waiting?

1. We have the momentum, our opposition is in turmoil.

No one expected Secretary Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mullen to be so outspoken in support of the repeal. And the surprise clearly extended to Republicans on the committee, who either didn't even bother to show up, or, like John McCain and Jeff Sessions, were so incensed at being caught off guard, and unprepared, that they took the unusual (and contradictory) position of telling the Pentagon that its opinion didn't matter.

Our momentum only grew when former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Colin Powell, added his voice, supporting Gates' and Mullen's position today.

It is always better to fight a battle on your own terms, and to fight when you have the upper hand. We have both at the moment, but they won't last for long.

2. Our opposition will regroup.

It's only a matter of time before the Republicans get their talking points, and their religious right troops, in order, and do what they do best - attack, attack, attack. Better to take them on now when they're not fully ready, and we are.

3. We can’t afford a long war.

Democrats are good at battles, Republicans are better at wars. We excel at short term blitzes, they excel over the long haul. Health care reform was a good example of this last year. No matter how good our hand, no matter how just our cause, the more time we gave the GOP to fight back, the more effective they were at tearing us down and turning the public against us. We have been fighting for the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell for 17 years. The polls show the public overwhelmingly on our side. We gain nothing by dragging this out another year. Our opponents gain everything.

For those advocates who worry that delayed implementation is justice denied, in fact there wouldn't be much of a delay at all. Last year, the Defense Authorization bill didn't pass until the end of October (many are advocating that the repeal be placed in the Defense Authorization bill to ensure against a GOP filibuster, and simply because it's clearly germane). The Don't Ask Don't Tell repeal legislation in the House already provides the Defense Department with 90 days in which to promulgate the regulations needed to implement the bill. The end of October plus 90 days equals the third week in January. About the time Secretary Gates told us the study would be complete. So in fact, the military can get it right, and we can still get it quickly, by passing the bill this year and delaying implementation until next.

There is another imperative for acting now. In an off-year election, when the party controlling Congress also controls the White House, it's generally expected (though not guaranteed) that the majority in Congress will lose some seats. Last month, we saw how the loss of just one Senate seat in Massachusetts, leaving Democrats with "only" an 18 seat majority in the Senate, threatened to imperil Democratic resolve across the board. We don't need the uncertainty of the fall elections adding to our troubles when we know we can get the job done now.

Finally there is political gain in proceeding expeditiously. While those of us in Washington debate the nuance of when the President, the Secretary, the Chairman and the Congress really want to see Don't Ask Don't Tell repealed, regular Americans, including gay Americans, their friends, and their families, saw only one thing this past week: Our President and our military leaders united in their resolve that the ban would be lifted, and soon. The expectations have been raised. There is no backing down now. To the extent that the repeal is delayed beyond the fall elections, with the knowledge that such a delay imperils the entire repeal effort, the Democrats are going to have some angry voters and donors on their hands, right before a major election that could affect the balance of power in the Congress. By choosing to pass the repeal before the election, the Democrats re-energize their base just when they need it the most.

Secretary Gates and Chairman Mullen stuck their necks out for us, and for their commander in chief, yesterday. They got our back, now it's time we got theirs. DOD and the White House have made clear that they plan to repeal the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy. And if you're going to fight a war, then you had better plan to win it. It would be folly to proceed with the repeal in a manner that didn't maximize our chance of success, and limit our opponent's.

The best opportunity we have to lift the ban is to include it in the Defense Authorization bill, get it passed this year, and direct that implementation be postponed until a specific date, pending the Pentagon's review of the best manner in which to implement the repeal. Read More...

Submarines, G-d and 'Don't Ask Don't Tell'

As someone who was discharged before "Don't Ask Don't Tell" was law, I have an axe to grind with those who claim gays and lesbians can't control themselves in any environment. I served onboard submarines as evidenced by my poem, "Sub Sailor's Views on Glasnost," that is featured in a Smithsonian's museum exhibit on submarine duty in the Cold War.

I believe the most poignant part of my story is I was ordered by my executive officer to be the Protestant Lay Reader, or "volunteer preacher," on the submarine while we were on patrol in the North Atlantic. My journey to become the preacher was circuitous because, although I had offered to play the keyboards for the services, I did not want to be the protestant pastor. I was worried I might some day be discovered as being gay, and I didn't want my judgment or motivations called into question when it came to any controversy as to whether or not I should have been preaching. Don't get me wrong, I had come to terms with my sexual orientation with my G-d, but I knew the military's stand, and most Christian theology back then had not evolved to where it is today. Even now, of course, being gay is still incompatible with Christianity with all but the most progressive of Christian denominations. Fortunately, I belong to several open and affirming churches through the United Church of Christ and Episcopalian faith, so I'm still deeply involved in my faith. Of course, I could not tell my executive officer I thought I might be gay, so my excuse, "I think I party too much..." was a non-starter. He told me if I could not find anyone else to preach then I would be it. That is how it is done in the military. You are ordered to do something and you do it.

I asked every protestant onboard the submarine if they would preach and was denied by all of them. The Saturday before our first service I could barely sleep, and that is unusual on a submarine where they work you to death. I spent a lot of that night in prayer, and had a dream that G-d wanted me to preach, and I announced in the dream, "Here I am!" and I became the ship's Protestant Lay Reader.

This issue is so much bigger than me, but I do think it's important for all of us who are gay and lesbian who have worn the uniform to tell our unique stories and the different ways we served our country. One day the military will look back and wonder why some were so bigoted and foolish when it came to integrating our military. In my case, I believe it is important to note for those people who have a big problem with "the gays" serving in the military for religious reasons that if it had not been for a gay man, there would not have been Protestant services onboard our submarine and we would not have been praising G-d from the depths of the ocean.

Of course, I'm sure those who were sleeping safely in their beds that morning I answered that call were unaware, but my G-d noticed my willingness when I had asked every single protestant onboard to be the Protestant Lay Reader and they would not do it. A gay man was the only one willing to step up and serve Him in the capacity of my submarine's Protestant Lay Reader. It doesn't matter what my sexual orientation happened to be, but no one can ever take my service as Protestant Lay Reader away from me. I earned it by default, yes, but I earned it. Of course, it was no picnic for me, either, but I did it because I was not going to just walk away after making that dramatic commitment in that dream of mine! Besides, the XO had ordered me and next to G-d, I didn't want him chewing me out, either.

Finally, when I was eventually outed, I was approached by so many of my shipmates on my submarine and each one of them told me, "Petty Officer Beauchamp, if you are what it means to 'be gay' then I have no problem serving with you." My commanding officer also wrote me a very nice letter about my service wishing me well. I then understood what the military is realizing today, and that is the only thing that prevents the successful integration of gays and lesbians in the military is a homophobic demand to force our troops and sailors to lie about an integral part of who they are as human beings. Read More...

John McCain, fervent support of Colin Powell

Now that Powell is supporting Gates and Mullen on the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell, it's timely to recall just what John McCain thinks of Colin Powell's advice:

McCain admires Powell as much as anyone else in the world. "Q: When do you think the United States has an obligation to intervene to prevent genocides: Mr. McCain: When it goes on and we can find an effective way to stop it - or even, if we can, if have the prescience we can try to stop it before it happens. That's not very easy, obviously. We have to have effective ways of addressing genocide. I know what you are leading to and that is Darfur, where Colin Powell, a man who I admire as much as any man in the world, person in the world, declared genocide in Darfur several years ago." [NY Times interview with John McCain, 7/13/08]

McCain called Powell one of the most "credible" and "respected men in America. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) praised Powell as one of the "most credible" and "most respected" men in America. [LA Times, 2/6/03]

McCain considered Powell for a running mate. "Retired Gen. Colin Powell is among the potential running mates who have been considered by John McCain, campaign advisers told Politico. Powell was among the possible vice presidential choices the Arizona Republican senator was thinking of when he said he would not rule out a supporter of abortion rights, a key adviser said." [Politico, 8/23/08]

McCain said President Bush was "blessed" to have Powell working for him. McCain said, "I think the president is blessed to have two extremely talented people (Powell and Rumsfeld), experienced people, working for him, and others, but particularly those two." [MSNBC Hardball, 4/23/03]

McCain says Bush administration should have listened to Powell more. When asked about torture on CBS, Scott Pelley asked, "How did we lose our way?" McCain responded "I don't know the answer to that. I think one of the failures maybe was not to listen more to our military leadership, including people like General Colin Powell, on this issue," McCain said. [CBS, 3/9/08]

McCain said he admired and respected Powell, said he was one of most "honest" men he had "ever known." "Sen. McCain: Well, Colin Powell's one of the most honest men that I've ever known and I admire and respect him enormously, and so obviously I'd take his word for it." [CNBC 4/20/04]

McCain was "exuberant" over Powell's selection as Secretary of State. After it was announced that Powell had been nominated by Bush for Secretary of State, McCain said, "I'm exuberant over the prospect of his [Colin Powell] stewardship of American foreign policy. There's a lot of very dangerous places in the world due to the fecklessness of the Clinton administration." [NBC Nightly News, 12/15/00]

McCain lauds Powell's selection as Secretary of State. Senator John McCain "I think his credentials and his charisma will have a significant effect, a beneficial effect, on the conduct of American foreign policy." [NBC Nightly News, 12/16/00]

McCain said if elected in 2000 he would have appointed Powell to his cabinet. On Larry King in 2001, McCain was asked whether he would have named Mr. Rumsfeld and Colin L. Powell to a McCain cabinet. 'Oh, yes." [CNN Larry King, 11/28/01]

As leader of the International Republican Institute, John McCain gave Colin Powell the Freedom Award. "As Senator John McCain waited to speak at the annual awards dinner of the International Republican Institute, a democracy-building group he has led for 15 years," "Mr. McCain could use the chairman's [of the institute] perch to score points with important Republican figures - he presented Freedom Awards to President Bush, former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and, in 2003, the incoming Senate majority leader, Bill Frist." [NY Times, 7/28/08]

McCain says Powell led the State Department with "honor and distinction." "Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, said all Americans should consider Mr. Powell's 'great service to our country.' 'When he took the helm at the State Department nearly four years ago, I was confident that Secretary Powell would lead with honor and distinction,' Mr. McCain said. 'I have not been disappointed.'" [NY Times, 11/15/04]

McCain was in favor of Powell talking to Syria. McCain said that: "I think it's appropriate that Colin Powell is going there [Syria]." Chris Matthews followed up "So you don't agree with Newt Gingrich dumping all over him? You don't agree with Newt Gingrich dumping on the Powell trip?" McCain responded "You know, Dick -- Richard Armitage is Powell's deputy. And he's a wonderful guy. He served in Vietnam. And he's a really tough guy. And he was quoted someplace today that Newt Gingrich is out of therapy." McCain added "Colin Powell is going to look Bashar aside in the eye and say, look, you know. You better clean up your act here. It's a new day in the Middle East. And I think it's entirely appropriate to do that." [MSNBC Hardball, 4/23/03]

Read More...

BREAKING: Colin Powell now favors repeal of DADT

Holy crap. This is huge.

Gen. Colin L. Powell, who as the nation’s top military officer in the 1990s opposed allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military, switched gears today and threw his support behind efforts to end the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law he helped shepherd in.

“In the almost 17 years since the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ legislation was passed, attitudes and circumstances have changed,” General Powell said in a statement issued by his office. He added: “I fully support the new approach presented to the Senate Armed Services Committee this week by Secretary of Defense Gates and Admiral Mullen.”

And for anyone who wants to quibble about what "support the new approach means," the new approach that Gates and Mullen clearly presented was supporting repeal of DADT and conducting a study to determine how best to implement the repeal. That's the approach, that's what Powell endorsed.

As an aside, it is irrelevant how any of you feel about this guy. He was the man who made DADT happen. For him to now support Gates and Mullen in their desire to repeal the policy is freaking enormous.

Democrats have to take advantage of this now. We cannot afford to wait a year for this study. This is about momentum, now. We have it. A year of religious right and GOP whittling away at us will doom this effort. Today, we can win. So what's the plan? Read More...

Protecting and enabling pedophiles is unnatural

The Pope is lecturing England and Wales about how "unnatural" it is to protect the equal rights of their gay citizens. And he wonders why they broke with him over four hundred years ago. Interesting that the Pope is basically defending shutting down adoption programs - leaving orphan children in the lurch - because he can't stand the gay. (This isn't the first time the Catholic Church cut off the poor and the vulnerable in defense of the church's bigotry.) Yet again, the Pope and the Catholic leadership make a decision that harms children, just as they did with their ongoing enabling of the pedophilia in their own ranks, which they knew about and covered up. It really is too much to have pedophile-enablers lecturing anyone about morality. Read More...

CBS headline: McCain Seems Inconsistent on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

CBS News notes the not so-straight talk from the guy who drove around on a bus called the Straight Talk Express

As the Washington Post notes [noted first by AMERICAblog], McCain said then that "the day that the leadership of the military comes to me and says, 'Senator, we ought to change the policy,' then I think we ought to consider seriously changing it because those leaders in the military are the ones we give the responsibility to."

Tuesday seemed to be that very day, yet McCain voiced a continued strong opposition to repeal.

McCain communications director Brooke Buchanan said McCain's posture did not amount to a shift in position, arguing that Mullen was speaking for himself and that Gates was simply towing the Obama administration's line.

"One person, speaking individually, not on behalf of the Navy at all, is not going to change Senator McCain's position," she told the Post. "There has to be a determination from our military leaders that they think it is a good idea to change the policy. Then of course Senator McCain will listen to them."

Apparently, Admiral Mullen isn't enough of a military leader for McCain and his staff.

One of the best moments of the hearing was when Sen. Tom Udall (D-CO) reminded everyone about the words of former Arizona Sen. Barry Goldwater, considered McCain's mentor, that "You don't have to be straight to shoot straight":

It was a great zing at McCain who seemed unusually cranky and nasty even for McCain. Read More...

Wash. Post: 'If they awarded decorations for congressional testimony, Mullen would have himself a Medal of Honor.'

Further evidence of how impactful Admiral Mullen's stunning testimony was at the DADT hearing comes one of the most cynical of the cynical Inside-the-Beltway pundits, Dana Milbank. He wrote an excellent column that captured the import and the significance of the event:

Mike Mullen's 42 years in the military earned him a chest full of ribbons, but never did he do something braver than what he did on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.

In a packed committee room, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff looked hostile Republican senators in the eye and told them unwelcome news: He thinks gays should be allowed to serve openly in the armed forces he commands.

"Speaking for myself and myself only, it is my personal belief that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be the right thing to do," the nation's top military officer told the members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "No matter how I look at this issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens. For me personally, it comes down to integrity -- theirs as individuals and ours as an institution."

People in the audience looked at one another. At the press tables, computer keys started clicking. Reporters consulted the time on their digital recorders.

If opponents prevail in their effort to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which bars gays from serving openly in the military, they will doubtless point to those strong words -- until now heresy for a top military officer -- as a turning point. Supporters of the policy evidently grasped that, too, for they turned against the admiral with caustic words.

Milbank's column, which is devoid of his usual snark, concludes:

If they awarded decorations for congressional testimony, Mullen would have himself a Medal of Honor.

Yesterday's testimony should be the turning point. We can't miss this opportunity. The President needs to stand firm and stay committed. Congress needs to pass the repeal this year. Not a moratorium. A full repeal. Give Mullen and Gates the time to complete their "year-long" review.

Unfortunately, Democrats have a tendency to compromise with themselves and delay action. That only works to the benefit of those who oppose us. Read More...