Gates speeds up delivery of 'Don't ask, don't tell' report

[cal04]

Source: The Hill

Defense Secretary Robert Gates is instructing his staff to accelerate by one day the public release of a yearlong study into the implications of repealing the ban on openly gay people serving in the military.

That study, initially due Dec. 1, will now be ready for release on Nov. 30 to allow the congressional defense committees to hold hearings on the report as soon as possible.

Supporters of repealing the Clinton-era law, known as "Don't ask, don't tell," are eying the weeks after Thanksgiving recess as the last opportunity to see the ban scrapped. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has committed to bringing up the 2011 defense authorization bill, which contains a repeal provision, for a vote in December. The House already approved its version of the massive defense policy bill, which contains a repeal provision.

(snip)
"Now, the Secretary has instructed his staff, without cutting any corners, to have everything ready a day sooner because he wants to ensure members of the Armed Services Committee are able to read and consider the complex, lengthy report before holding hearings with its authors and the Joint Chiefs of Staff," Morrell said.

Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/130291-gates-speeds-up-delivery-of-dont-ask-dont-tell-report

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Pentagon trying to get ban lifted this year
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101121/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_military_gays

[bluedigger]

1. One day? Oh. n/t

[NRaleighLiberal]

2. breathtaking, isn't it. (go Pats, by the way! close at the end today, though!) n/t

[Tx4obama]

9. Please see comment #8 below. n/t

[Cant trust em]

3. woo hoo.

:sarcasm:

[Tx4obama]

15. Please see comment #8 below. n/t

[Radical Activist]

4. cool

[MindandSoul]

5. One day doesn't seem like much. . .but it demonstrate a desire to move ahead

It certainly is better than nothing. . .so stop griping!

[mitchtv]

6. I have quit griping

I wait for it to pass, if it doesn't, major gripe

[TheEuclideanOne]

7. Does that mean they can all vote "No" a day earlier?

Then again, if they do all vote Yes unanimously, Obama will probably ask for a new study.

[Tx4obama]

10. We will have more than the needed 60 'yes' votes.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4620593

[MindandSoul]

11. Man of little faith!. . .Beating up on the wrong guy isn't the answer!

[TheEuclideanOne]

13. Well you are right. I am not a faith oriented person, I am results/actions oriented person.

The last I checked, he did challenge a bill that was already dead and basically brought it back to life. I am just guessing that history will repeat itself.

[MindandSoul]

14. Well, although I have faith, I'm not a religious person!

But I do believe Obama is getting a bad rap, and that we are playing in the hands of the teabaggers and Republicans by beating up!
But I respect your opinion. . .:)

[TheEuclideanOne]

17. Yes and know

I do think that for a while he was doing everything right and was getting a bad rap. At the same time, you can argue that by not promoting all of the things he was doing, the tea baggers got a free ride. Now, I think that he has started making bad decisions and ones that are politically unwise. This is really a perfect storm for the Teabaggers,sad to say. I sure hate to see a bunch of fact-challenged, hateful people feel some justification that they are correct. That bugs me more than anything and I start resenting the guy who is giving them the ammunition.

[MindandSoul]

18. I understand your point of view, and I don't really disagree. . .but I still believe President Obama

has integrity and enough intelligence to get us out of this mess.

But. . .I realize I may be wrong!

[TheEuclideanOne]

19. I hope that you are right

I would love to grab the guy by the shoulders and shake him really hard saying "Wake up!". There is a certain point at which you can see it is not going to happen. The good thing about the tea party is that they actually let you know where they stand. They don't pretend to be your friend and then stab you in the back. They tell you to your face "I want to destroy you, Obama and I will never vote anything but NO....ever". There is not a whole lot of room for misinterpretation here. Yet, he still gives away the farm hoping that they will be friends. That gets old pretty quickly.

Like yourself, I am still hoping for the best, but at a certain point, there is enough evidence to show that I should not expect him to take actions that support my viewpoint.

[MindandSoul]

20. I know what you mean. I just want to give up hope.

[Tx4obama]

8. BUT it is not only the DADT survey report that has to be finished - see below

Nov. 18, 2010

Excerpt:

Morrell, who reiterated that the study would not be released before December the 1, also argued that the Pentagon was responding to the concerns of those pressing for repeal and operating under an expedited timeline. “I would just remind you that the original plan here was for us to work towards December the 1 as the date by which the report would be due and then the internal work would begin,” he said. “We have compressed that timeline such that we are now operating on parallel tracks. Not only is the draft report still being finalized, but we are also doing the internal work that would have taken place after December 1st simultaneously so that we can, on December the 1, not just release the report but the Secretary can state where he wants to take us with regards to this measure.”

“There is a lot of work to do between now and then because we have compressed this. Sensitive to the fact that there is a real desire for direction on this,” he said. Gates is “actively working to get this done on an expedited timeline.” “You have also heard him really really strongly lately on his real concern in regards to court action being the mechanism that ultimately leads to a change in this law and policy. The fear there is that it would be a very precipitous change and force us to change on a dime, with the flick of a light switch, if you will,” Morrell added.

Full article here and video: http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2010/11/18/morrell-dadt-pushing/

[msanthrope]

12. So not just the report--but the new policy, which might shorten the 60 day window. n/t

[sarcasmo]

16. Needs to happen ASAP.

[Tx4obama]

21. November 30 is the soonest it can be done...

see comment #8 up above.
There is a lot of work for them to do between now and Nov. 30th.

[24601]

22. Gates certainly has done more to end DADT than anyone else in

the administration, including President Obama. Perhaps Gates should be President. But as an independent, he has no party behind him. Of course he could become President (until 20 Jan 2013) upon the mass resignation of

The President
The Vice President
The Speaker of the House of Representatives
The President Pro Tempore of the Senate (Medal of Honor Recipient Senator Daniel Inouye)
The Secretary of State
The Secretary of the Treasury