Go ahead and ask, go ahead and tell

[Moonliner]

Originally Posted by Alex

Well, this one isn't a campaign promise (since the campaign is over) so I give it a bit more weight. And the political environment for it really is better than for Clinton

The linked article impied that is was.

And a quick google turned up this from April of '08:

Barack Obama said he's confident he could end the "don't ask, don't tell" policy for gays in the military, but he won't make it a criteria for serving on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"I would never make this a litmus test for the Joint Chiefs of Staff," Obama said during an interview with The Advocate, a gay publication.

"What I want are members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who are making decisions based on what strengthens our military and what is going to make us safer, not ideology," he said.

Obama said ending the policy, which was instituted during Bill Clinton's administration, is something he could "reasonably" get done if elected.

"There's increasing recognition within the armed forces that this is a counterproductive strategy - ya know, we're spending large sums of money to kick highly qualified gays or lesbians out of our military, some of whom possess specialties like Arab-language capabilities that we desperately need. That doesn't make us more safe," he said.

Also from the article:

since his election has made statements that gay pressure groups interpreted as lukewarm

So the statments made are to reinforce that Obama does intented to follow through with this promise, rather than a new stance for him correct?

[Alex]

Well, yes, it was a campaign promise. Sorry, I wasn't clear.

I meant that the current restatement of the intent is no longer a campaign promise, especially since this story implies they've moved up the timetable compared to earlier statements (when it was said it might be a year or two before it was acted on).

[SzczerbiakManiac]

"Campaign promise" or not, I am still not gonna hold my breath. Call me pessimistically hopeful.

[Moonliner]

Originally Posted by Alex

Well, yes, it was a campaign promise. Sorry, I wasn't clear.

I meant that the current restatement of the intent is no longer a campaign promise, especially since this story implies they've moved up the timetable compared to earlier statements (when it was said it might be a year or two before it was acted on).

No you were clear, I just posted while I was still editing. A bad habit I need to get out of. Given the response time around here...

[Alex]

Unlike Clinton, it is unlikely that Obama would face significant congressional opposition from the leadership of his own party and Obama has prominent leadership within the military on his side now as well.

Besides, back in 1992, the social impacts of the "gays in the military" episode of Quantum Leap hadn't yet had time to percolate through society.

[JWBear]

Would he even need to involve Congress? Wouldn't it just take an Executive Order?

[Alex]

Don't Ask, Don't Tell is law, not an executive order.

It was a compromise Clinton reached with congress. So unfortunately it isn't just as easy as making a new executive order (I too thought that it was an executive order this morning and was looking for it when I found I was wrong).


ETA: Well, that link apparently doesn't work. Anyway, it was part of HR 2401 in 1993 if you want to seek it out.

[Alex]

Or rather, to be clearer, the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" part could be reversed by the Secretary of Defense any time he wants. However, that the law still says that you can't be gay and in the military.

So reversal of the first part without reversal of the second part would just mean that they could start questioning you again.

[Gemini Cricket]

Senator Keeley: Homosexuality is weakening our country.
Albert: That's what I thought until I found out that Alexander the Great was a fag. I mean, talk about your gays in the military!

[bewitched]

I suppose the real question is not "if" but "when".

Although Mr. Obama has not publicly identified which priorities will have to wait, advisers and allies have signaled that they may put off renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement, overhauling immigration laws, restricting carbon emissions, raising taxes on the wealthy and allowing gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the military.