Kerry Responds to Pentagon Report: The Time is Now to End ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’

[ProSense]

Kerry Responds to Pentagon Report: The Time is Now to End ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) today released a statement regarding the Pentagon’s report on gays in the military:

“For years, Senators have said they’d lift the ban on gays serving openly in the military when the military signaled the time had come. When the architect of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ General Colin Powell, said the time had come, they said they wanted to hear from the current brass. When the current brass and the Defense Secretary said the time had come, they said they wanted to hear from the troops. Well, the military has spoken again, and an overwhelming number currently serving have said the time is now. Not in ten years, but now. The service members on the ground have confirmed that a change in policy will do nothing to affect unit cohesion or their ability to carry out their mission. End of story. Just like we did after President Truman desegregated the military and after the path was cleared for women to serve, we’ll someday look back on this policy and wonder what on earth took Washington so long to fix it.”

[Mass]

1. Good for him (and not surprising). Now, they need at least 4 Republicans to pass it.

2 to replace Pryor and Nelson (NE) and 2 other ones.

[Hippo_Tron]

4. Nelson actually voted for the repeal last time

It was Lincoln and Pryor who voted against. Now that Lincoln is a lame duck, it's possible she might consider changing her mind. But now that Joe Manchin has been sworn in, his vote is up in the air as well given how conservative West Virginia is.

If Scott Brown is serious about being re-elected he might want to seriously consider being the deciding vote on this one.

[Mass]

5. Brown just blocked extending the unemployment benefits, so I somehow doubt he would

consider voting the ban of DADT as an important element to a reelection campaign.

[karynnj]

6. But, if Brown were serious about getting re-elected, it was not a good move

to be the one to stop the unemployment extension - especially not with a barely coherent speech that meandered into the need to fix the fact that the estate tax was returning. (even joking it was a good year to die - because the rate next year isn't known!)

Like you, I had felt that both his relatively young age and a desire to get re-elected would make him a likely candidate. Now, I suspect that Collins, Snow and maybe Lugar, Murkowski, and Voinivich might be better possibilities. (I also wonder if there is a younger Republican, who is not now seen as a contender for President, who see how fast the opinion on this has moved and realizes that age is the best predictor of position in the population as a whole.)

[karynnj]

7. Brown still on the fence per a MA paper - wants more time to study the report

U.S. Sen. Scott Brown said Tuesday he is still undecided on whether the "don't-ask-don't-tell" ban on gays serving openly in the military should be repealed.

A Pentagon survey on the issue found that only a small minority of troops believe repeal would hurt the military, but Brown said he wanted to study the matter further.

"Senator Brown is reviewing the Pentagon study, and believes we should not implement any new policy until we have assurances it can be implemented without jeopardizing the mission of our military," his office said in a statement.

http://www.thesunchronicle.com/articles/2010/12/01/news/8477080.txt

[MBS]

2. nice statement-- good for him

thanks, sen. Kerry
:thumbsup:
:patriot:

[karynnj]

3. I love this statement

I love the way he moves through all the goal post moves the Republicans have had. It shows how untruthful the Republican have always been on this.