Chicago Free Press Editorial:Gates confirms we’re on the back burner

Chicago Free Press Editorial:Gates confirms we’re on the back burner
Copyright by The Chicago Free Press
April 1, 2009
http://www.chicagofreepress.com/node/3335


Unfortunately, we saw this one coming.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, interviewed on a news program this past Sunday, was asked about the Obama administration’s progress on overturning the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy.

“The president and I feel like we’ve got a lot on our plates right now and let’s push that one down the road a little bit,” Gates answered.

The response confirmed what many GLBT activists feared—that, once elected, the president would stall on his campaign promise to repeal DADT. Shortly after Obama took over, sources within his administration said that the matter would have to be “studied further.”

Gates’ answer suggested that the logistics of overturning DADT would unnecessarily weigh down on the military in what are most certainly tumultuous times. In reality, though, the opposite would be true.

Repealing DADT would free up a tremendous amount of manpower and resources. The military would no longer have to spend time and money investigating and trying military personnel accused of improper conduct.

Morale would undoubtedly improve. Gay officers would not need to expend energy and time on being closeted. Skills that they brought to their jobs would not be lost once they left the service. Colleagues and friends whom they were open to would not be put in the uncomfortable positions of having to hide or lie on their behalves.

But repealing DADT, as far as the administration is concerned, is not about what’s good for the military or what’s good for GLBTs. It’s about what’s good for Obama and the Democratic Party.

Many Democrats fear putting their necks on the line for DADT because they fear the wrath of bulldog Republicans in Congress, whose cooperation is presumably needed for Obama to move ahead in shoring up the nation’s economy.

Of course, on those grounds, Obama has nothing to lose. Congressional Republicans drew the line in the sand at the outset of his administration, and have opposed nearly all the fiscal policy that he has pushed forward, even before anyone has brought up DADT. The president should not be worried about losing support he never had in the first place.

If Obama is so worried about having to pick his battles, let us ask, can’t someone pick one of the GLBT community’s battles for a change?