Gates, Obama urge repeal of ban on openly gay service members before new Congress arrives

[johnnie]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Robert Gates is encouraging Congress to act before year's end to repeal the ban on gays serving openly in the military. It's a position shared by his boss, the president.

But his new Marine commandant thinks otherwise and the Senate has not yet taken action, setting up yet another hurdle for gay activists who see their window quickly closing. After Tuesday's elections that saw Republicans chip away at Democrats' majority in the Senate and wrest the House from their control, their hopes for ending the 17-year-old law have dimmed.


http://www.fox8.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-us-gays-in-military,0,2202248.story

[BolivarianHero]

1. When it comes to DADT...

You never know which Obama you'll get.

[NuclearDem]

2. WTF is wrong with the DoD?

As Commander in Chief and the SecDef, Obama and Gates respectively just need to issue an order against discriminating against gays. Military has to follow suit.

Why? Because that's how it works! I don't care if the Marine commandant or the CSAF oppose it--the Pentagon's just proven time and time again that they're either filled with homophobes, or that they have zero faith in our troops on the ground to put aside differences when each other's lives are on the line.

I've been there--we don't gay bash in the warzone (or at home for that matter), and we're perfectly capable of putting religious, political, and ethnic differences aside when it's our lives on the line.

Dammit, END THIS SHIT NOW.

[Little Star]

3. I won't hold my breath. n/t

[QC]

4. "But his new Marine commandant thinks otherwise...."

Who is in charge, anyway?

Obama would do well to consider the story of Truman and MacArthur.

[VMI Dem]

5. What a fucking joke.