10/20/10

The United States military began accepting openly gay and lesbian recruits yesterday for the first time in its history.  In observing the federal judge's order for the military to cease enforcing the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" (DADT) law, which was found to both violate the equal protection and First Amendment rights of service members, the military is strengthening itself while honoring core American values.  The judges' ruling, while focused on constitutional rights, provides clear benefits for our national security.  From recruitment to costs to readiness, America's top military leaders and national security experts agree that DADT has hurt our military's strength.  With support from young veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, this flawed policy's termination is overdue.

As a pro-forma matter, the Justice Department is appealing the decision, but conservatives in Congress have gone much further and aggressively blocked the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act because it included language repealing DADT.  This blatantly political move, which has prevented vital authorization for troops in the field and the Pentagon overall, harms our country's security precisely at the time that we need clarity in the Pentagon's personnel policy.  Yet conservatives, who have fumbled the issue by comparing homosexuality to alcoholism and arguing that the military cannot handle this - try to score cheap political points on this issue on the campaign trail.  Just as with other national security issues, conservative clearly have not put much thought into the issue and are happily sacrificing American values and security on the altar of political expediency. 

The courts act, demonstrating that this is a policy whose time has come to an end.  Last month, after conservatives in the Senate blocked passage of the National Defense Authorization Act - which provides important funding to America's troops and war efforts - because it contained a repeal of "Don't Ask Don't Tell."  Christopher Neff of the Palm Center explains: "Working with Senator McCain and conservative organizations, the GOP shifted the focus of the debate away from the policies in question and onto Senate procedures...  There were many smokescreens around this vote, but the GOP had only one target - stopping the repeal of ‘don't ask, don't tell.'"

As Congress has been unable to complete this issue because of conservative obstinacy,  the issue has gone to the courts, demonstrating the importance of the issue to all three branches of government.  The New York Times describes the current process, writing: "The historic move follows a series of decisions by a federal judge in California, Virginia A. Phillips, who ruled last month that the ‘don't ask, don't tell' law violates the equal protection and First Amendment rights of service members. On Oct. 12, she ordered the military to stop enforcing the law... But the Department of Justice, following its tradition of defending laws passed by Congress, has fought efforts by the Log Cabin Republicans, a gay organization, to overturn the policy.  Judge Phillips on Tuesday denied requests by the government to maintain the status quo during the appeals process.  The Pentagon has stated its intent to file an appeal in case of such a ruling. But meanwhile, it has started complying with Judge Phillips's instructions while the dispute over her orders plays out."

While the process remains uncertain, one thing remains clear: the time for this policy to end has arrived.  The New York Times reports that, "President Obama has said that the ‘don't ask, don't tell' policy ‘will end on my watch,'" heeding the clear evidence that DADT harms national security and violates gay service members' constitutional rights.  [Christopher Neff, 9/24/10. President Obama, via the NY Times, 10/20/10]

On the campaign trail, conservatives play politics with and fumble on national security.   Meanwhile, conservatives continue to oppose the policy, either because of outright ignorance or through false claims that it's unclear whether military leaders support repeal of the policy. Illinois candidate Mark Kirk - who is known for overstating his record of military service -- even claims the military can't handle repeal, saying it would "cause confusion in the ranks."

Ken Buck (R), Colorado Senate candidate.

"And Mr. Buck I want to start with you.  The issue of gays in our country, in a debate last month you expressed your support for ‘don't ask, don't tell,' which we talked about with Mr. Gibbs, and you alluded to lifestyle choices. Do you believe that being gay is a choice?

MR. BUCK:  I do.

MR. GREGORY:  Based on what?

MR. BUCK:  Based on what?

MR. GREGORY:  Yeah.

MR. BUCK:  Well...

MR. GREGORY:  Why do you believe that?

MR. BUCK:  Well, I guess you can, you can choose who your partner is.

MR. GREGORY:  You don't think it's something that's determined at birth?

MR. BUCK:  I, I, I think that birth has an influence over like alcoholism and some other things, but I think that basically you, you have a choice." [Meet the Press, 10/17/10]

Mark Kirk (R), Illinois Senate candidate, warns of confusion in our complicated 24-time-zone military: "[The military] is one of the most complicated organizations on Earth.  Operating in all 24 time zones, and if you remove a policy, speaking from some military experience, you've got to be able then to look in the eyes of a first sergeant or a chief and say, what is the new policy.  How are we going to run this ship or this platoon today.  And without a replacement, you cause confusion in the ranks." [Illinois Senate Debate, 10/19/10]

Dino Rossi (R), Washington Senate candidate. "Up until now ["don't ask, don't tell"] appears to have been working." [Dino Rossi, via the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 10/15/10]

Broad support exists among both military leaders and young veterans for repeal of DADT. Conservatives who oppose "don't ask, don't tell" or claim that military leaders have not expressed their support for repeal ignore multiple strong statements to the contrary.

Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: "It is my personal belief that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be the right thing to do. No matter how I look at this issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens. For me personally, it comes down to integrity -- theirs as individuals and ours as an institution." [Admiral Michael Mullen, via Washington Post, 2/3/10]

General Colin Powell, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,  who helped implement DADT: "In the almost seventeen years since the ‘Don't Ask, Don't Tell' legislation was passed, attitudes and circumstances have changed... For the past two years, I have expressed the view that it was time for the law to be reviewed by Congress. I fully support the new approach presented to the Senate Armed Services Committee this week by Secretary of Defense Gates and Admiral Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff." [Colin Powell, 2/3/10]

General John Shalikashvili, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff:"‘Don't ask, don't tell' was seen as a useful measure that allowed time to pass while our culture continued to evolve. The question before us now is whether enough time has gone by to give this policy serious reconsideration. I believe that it has." [General John Shalikashvili, 1/27/10]

51 retired generals and admirals and former secretary of the army: Repeal "don't ask, don't tell."  In a letter to Congress, 52 military leaders recommended that Congress repeal DADT: "We respectfully urge Congress to repeal the ‘don't ask, don't tell' policy. Those of us signing this letter have dedicated our lives to defending the rights of our citizens to believe whatever they wish." [Military Leaders Letter to Congress, 7/23/08]

VetVoice Foundation: "An overwhelming majority of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans say it is personally acceptable to them if gay and lesbian people were allowed to serve openly in the military." More than seven in ten (73%) say it is acceptable, including 42% who say it would be acceptable and 31% who would find it acceptable even though they would not like it. Only a quarter (25%) would find it unacceptable. Generational differences exist here as well, but they are not as dramatic as conventional wisdom might indicate. Forty-seven percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans under age 35 find it acceptable and would like the policy change and another 30% find it acceptable and do not like it, for a total of 77% who find it personally acceptable if gay and lesbian people were allowed to serve openly in the military. Seventy percent of veterans over age 35 would find it acceptable and only a quarter would find it unacceptable (26%). [VetVoice Foundation, 3/17/10]

What We're Reading

Talks underway to end the war in Afghanistan involve extensive, face-to-face discussions with Taliban commanders from the highest levels of the group's leadership, who are secretly leaving their sanctuaries in Pakistan with the help of NATO troops.

The British government unveiled the country's steepest public spending cuts in decades, sharply reducing welfare benefits, raising the retirement age earlier than planned and eliminating almost half a million public sector jobs over the next four years.

For nearly a year, the United States has waged a war against al Qaeda in Yemen, largely in deep secrecy. But the militants appear unfazed, and the fragile government of this poor Arab nation is pushing back against U.S. pressure to escalate the fight.

The stepped-up pace of CIA operations in Pakistan "is taking a serious toll" on al Qaeda's operational abilities.

The Obama administration's drive to persuade NATO countries to back its revamped missile defense plans is bringing longstanding tensions over European security into the open, to the potential advantage of Russia and Turkey, the maverick guardians of the E.U.'s eastern flank.

China pledged to maintain supplies of rare earth materials and signaled that exports of the ingredients used in electronics, wind turbines and smart bombs may rise next year.

Afghanistan has released the full preliminary results from last month's parliamentary election, throwing out more than 20 percent of the ballots because of fraud.

South Korea is open to calls for resuming international talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear arms program if Pyongyang pledges to honor a 2005 deal.

The Obama administration is planning to ramp up military support to the Pakistani army as part of an effort to persuade Islamabad to do far more to combat Islamic militants.

Afghan women who remember the Taliban government's total ban on their participation in public life less than a decade ago are watching closely as the country's government gears up for peace talks with insurgents.

Commentary of the Day

David Chase explains why "rare earths," and the pinch that China's export limitations placed on them, should matter to all of us.

Thomas Friedman argues that President Obama is hardly anti-Israeli when he is offering much and receiving little from one of our strongest allies.

David Rothkopf writes that while the U.S. will embrace a visiting Pakistani delegation this week, they are doing so at their own risk.