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Loading ...Gates still not ready to sign on to DADT repeal
04.17.2009 9:34am EDT
(Carlisle, Pennsylvania) Changing the U.S. military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy for gay troops is “very difficult,” Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday, indicating that doing so could take years – if it ever happens.
Speaking at the Army War College, Gates said he and President Barack Obama were discussing the policy and whether to change it. Gates said he was not yet taking a position about whether gay troops should be open about their sexuality, which could lead to their discharge under the current rules.Gates also noted it took five years for the U.S. military to racially integrate during the Truman administration.
“If we do it, it’s imperative that we do it right and very carefully,” Gates told reporters later on a military jet to Newport, R.I., where he was to speak Friday at the Navy’s war college.
He added: “It’s very difficult. To get peoples’ real feelings about it you have to have almost a one-on-one private conversation. I think it’s very difficult for people to speak in front of their peers about this issue.”
Obama committed during the 2008 presidential campaign to moving to end the Clinton administration-era policy that was enacted as a compromise between openly gay people serving in the armed forces and those opposed to gays in uniform.
Jon Soltz, an Iraq War veteran and chairman of VoteVets.org, said scrapping “don’t ask, don’t tell” to let gay troops serve openly “can and should happen now.”
“It’s not like integration, where we had to move African American troops into units,” Soltz said in a statement. “This would simply allow people to continue to serve where they’re currently serving.”
“Any thought this couldn’t happen quickly just isn’t true,” Soltz said.
Gates was in Carlisle for his third visit to a military college in four days to discuss the Pentagon’s spending plan for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.
He also said the White House National Security Council was meeting almost daily on how to thwart future threats from ocean pirates, like those who held an American commercial ship captain hostage for five days last week. Three of the pirates were fatally shot on Sunday by U.S. Navy SEAL sharpshooters, and a fourth is in U.S. custody.
Additionally, the Obama administration is talking with the commercial shipping industry to come up with ways for private vessels to protect themselves. Among the options being looked at is whether armed guards should sail with ships, even though current law in some nations would prevent them from entering ports.
Gates also raised the possibility of offering incentives to the pirates themselves – mostly young, poverty stricken Somalis – to stop attacking ships off their coast.
“And so it’s a question of how you raise the cost so high that perhaps it begins to diminish their enthusiasm, but at the same time see if we can’t get some greater sense of order on land,” Gates told the soldiers at Carlisle. “But there’s no question about it, it’s a challenging problem.”
When Gates opens his mouth he is speaking for a back stabbing homophobe, barrack obama.
Fire Gates.
Obama is not a Homophobe and will help us. But Gates is.
Isnt it interesting he claims they have too much on their plate to deal with this issue and along comes a new problem with 21st century Pirates. Suddenly times is found to deal with this new issue.
All I can say is the time is now to knock Gates down a peg-leg or two, ARRRRRRRRRR, every time he uses the lame excuse that we can not do two things at one time. When he speake so disrespectfuly of honest tax paying willing to die for their country gay soldiers, he should realize that he himself is commiting an act of domestic terrorizim here in the great homeland of USA.
It is time to send Gates the message that Gay Soldiers will not allow themselves to be used and abused by this pathatic law called DADT.
Why is it that the majority of western European nations and Canada allow their gay citizens to serve openly in the military, even our closest ally, the UK? Seems obvious to me, the political will to get rid of it just isn’t there and it explains why we’re foot dragging on marriage equality while other nations surpass us not only on these but on many other social issues. I don’t see much change under the current administration either. Have you noticed every time gay civil rights comes up bet that DADT, DOMA, ENDA, there’s always an excuse to delay. Even if the economic crisis hadn’t happened, I don’t think we’d see any significant difference.
Doing the right thing is *so* hard!
Like serving in a military that doesn’t support you isn’t.
-c
Gates is projecting his own biases onto actual servicemembers. He can’t keep a clear head making decisions. He shouldn’t be in charge of lunch.
Perhaps it is difficult to talk openly with your peers about the issue BECAUSE of the DADT policy.
This policy is a dinosaur. It needs to be repealed ASAP. Lets get as many willing and qualified individuals as we can in our military.
Gates comments should infuriate every Gay American. Gates is communicating for Obama the message that Obama is going to play it safe and DO NOTHING about the ridiculous DontASkDontTell policy.
I urge everyone to write President Obama and DEMAND that he start following through NOW on the commitments he made to Gay Americans to end DADT, repeal DOMA and provide Federal civil rights to Gay Americans.
Obam has not done one thing for Gay Americans yet he said all the right things to us to get our vote.
I for one am tired of being taken for granted and I refuse to vote for Obama or ANY democratic candidate or legislation until Presient Obama follows through on his commitment to Gays.
You can fool me once (Clinton’s acceptance of DADT and signing of DOMA legislation)but I wont be fooled twice.
Write the President and your Confresspeople. Enough is Enough.
if they think they have problemswith the Republicans, they should see the dissatisfaction from Gay America!
This stupid Gays in the Military issue is so very stupid. Why, when so many other country’s are including gays in their ranks does the United States think its so very special and that intelligent men and woman would really have a problem with it? Give the American public (and service men and woman) a chance to think for themselves.
Remember who else we have to blame for the idiotic policies of DOMA and DADT – Bill Clinton! He’s the one that signed off on them. Had he been courageous and stood up for what was right, we may not be in the mess we’re in today!
Yep, almost way past time to fire Gates! Alaska just rejected a homophobe, why can’t OBAMA!
Repealing DADT is very simple. Stop discharging people.
David M is right, Why is the U.S. so special that what is working for Canada and the U.K. wont work for the U.S. ?
Tom in Long Beach
I voted for that a-hole Obama and now I regret it!!! What if the issue were African-American serving? Would he be dragging his feet there? As usual, the Democrats take our votes for granted. I say “Out with Obama” in the next election. We should have had Hilary!!!!
I think this might be a good time for Mr. Gates to realize that he needs to spend more time with his family.
The only reason we can’t let gays and lesbians serve in the military, when virtually all of our allies manage to do so is because, apparently we have a number of bigots in OUR country (and in the military) whose discomforts and fears, apparently, must be catered to.