A "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Compromise?

When it comes to repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the military policy that discriminates against gay, lesbian and bisexual troops, the White House has handled the affair with as much poise as parading an elephant through a Williams & Sonoma. What started out as inspiring rhetoric during Obama's State of the Union address this past January, has devolved into a game of The White House and the Pentagon versus Congress and LGBT advocates.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi said over the weekend that by Christmas, she wants to see legislation repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" written into the history books. For his part, U.S. Senator Carl Levin (the Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee) also wants a vote on repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Up until now, a vote in Congress gave the White House and the Pentagon the heebie-jeebies. They did not want legislation repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" to move forward until this December (at the earliest), to make way for the completion of a Pentagon-initiated study on how a repeal of the policy should be implemented.

Delays are never a politically popular thing, and in this case, suggesting that legislation repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" be delayed until after the midterms (a time where nobody knows what the makeup of Congress is going to look like) was about as popular as that dude who takes twelve minutes to order his drink at Starbucks (you know who you are!). In fact, the White House's mishandling of the situation has drawn civil disobedience actions, calls to boycott giving money to the Democratic Party, a sign-on letter from LGBT people and straight allies taking the Obama administration and the Dems to task for inaction, and a daily series of letters (courtesy of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network) showing the real damage that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" has on the lives of thousands of soldiers.

In the case of repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," patience is not a virtue. It's downright offensive at this point.

But is there finally a plan in the works that might clear up the mess the White House has gotten itself into on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"? Maybe, at least if you take to heart the story coming out today that a group of activists, Congressional leaders, Pentagon officials, and the White House staffers met to get everyone on the same page.

Cue Kerry Eleveld at The Advocate, who delivers the goods from Washington. She confirmed through a White House aide that a meeting of all these minds took place.

"According to one person familiar with the White House meeting, the proposal that is being considered would legislatively repeal the statute this year, but the current policy would remain in place and implementation of repeal would not occur until after the Pentagon’s working group study is finished in December," Eleveld reports. "Further, completion of repeal would require certification from President Barack Obama, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and Joint Chiefs chair Adm. Mike Mullen that the new law will not have a negative impact on readiness, recruitment, retention, and other key factors affecting the military."

Well, given the oodles of studies that exist already showing that gay, lesbian and bisexual troops have no negative impact on readiness, recruitment, retention "and other key factors" affecting the military, hopefully that would mean swift action from these head honchos on a repeal.

Details won't be announced until later this week (possibly even tomorrow). But could this finally put in motion the words that President Obama said not only in his State of the Union address this year, but also during the campaign trail?

Here's hoping. Sixteen years of federally-sponsored discrimination, to the tune of nearly 14,000 troops booted out of the military, needs to come to an end.

Photo credit: The U.S. Army