Back to the future on DADT with Tim Pawlenty

[Derechos]

By Jonathan Capehart

Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-Minn.) just grabbed the gold star for pandering to the conservative base of the Republican Party in his quest for the 2012 presidential nomination. In an interview with Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association, an anti-gay group that rails against the so-called homosexual agenda, he said he would reinstate don't ask don't tell (DADT).

Bryan Fischer: "One last question, we have about 45 seconds left, put you on the hot seat one more time. We just saw the ban on homosexual service in the military repealed, overturned. Conservatives will be working over the next couple of years to see that that ban is reinstated. If you become president in 2012, will you work to reinstate the prohibition on open homosexual service in the military, would you sign such a prohibition if it got to your desk?"

Gov. Tim Pawlenty: "Bryan, I have been a public and repeat supporter of maintaining 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' There's a lot of reasons for that, but if you look at how the combat commanders and the combat units feel about it, the results of those kinds of surveys were different than the ones that were mostly reported in the newspaper, and that is something we need to pay attention to. But I have been a public supporter of maintaining 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' and I would support reinstating it as well."

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2011/01/back_to_the_future_on_dadt_wit.html

[emulatorloo]

1. I'm sick of the media referring to Pawlenty as a "moderate"

There really isn't anything about him that is moderate, other than his physical appearance and verbal manner.

[glinda]

4. That description is Republican spin. He is not a moderate.

[Renew Deal]

2. Where are the survey discrepancies?

I want to see those.

There's no going back on DADT. It won't happen and he knows it.

[Erose999]

3. Probably no going back oh HCR either. Doesn't keep them from scoring cheap political points by

promising its repeal.

[Zoeisright]

5. Oh, I see, Timmy the Tool, and where exactly is YOUR military experience?

Oh, that's right - you don't have any. Because you're a cowardly little weasel with crossed eyes.

[muffin1]

6. Pawlenty is a piece of shit.

How he and McCain(and many others, actually) are considered 'moderates' is beyond me.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

7. How would he be able to reinstate it as POTUS?

Would he be able to re-institute it by EO? It would be insane IMHO for anybody coming after President Obama to reinstate DADT and start throwing out open gay and lesbian service members all over again. I would be surprised if there wasn't some major pushback from the military over such a move. As others have already posted here, I don't think that he believes he could do it but when are Republicans going to learn that slavishly pandering to every whim of their "base" usually just makes them look really idiotic (although, of course, I guess it's o.k. since few in the corporate media ever actually call them out on it)?