Hey, Obama, the Time to Repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is Now

by Michael Jones · 2009-10-04 09:26:00 UTC
Topics:

Don't Ask Don't Tell

President Barack Obama's National Security Advisor, Gen. James Jones, made the rounds on the Sunday talkshow circuit this week, and had a chance to clarify the timeline of when the discriminatory military policy known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" might be repealed. But instead of hitting a homerun with the question, Gen. Jones struck out by answering that Obama's plate is too full to move forward on a repeal right now.

Instead of unequivocally stating that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is bad policy, hurts our Armed Forces, and discriminates against gays and lesbians, Gen. Jones answered that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" will be dealt with "at the right time," and that a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" will be teed up appropriately. *Yawn* That's not bold leadership; that's preserving the status quo.

To be clear, NOW is the appropriate time to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." More than 13,000 troops have been booted out of the military simply because of their sexuality since this policy took shape in 1993, and the discharges have not stopped under Obama. As of this summer, more than 200 soldiers had been fired under the Obama administration for being gay.

Last week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid wrote to Obama asking for guidance on how to move a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" forward. Reid said that "At a time when we are fighting two wars, I do not believe we can afford to discharge any qualified individual who is willing to serve our country."

He's right. So is the Albany Times Union, which has a fabulous editorial on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" this morning. They write: "Can a nation still fighting two wars, and perhaps even escalating one of them, afford to reject a change in policy that would strengthen its armed forces?"

The magic word for Barack Obama should be, simply, "NOW." Or better yet, "YESTERDAY." That's the timeframe for eliminating "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." This bullshit about waiting "for the right time" or teeing up a repeal "appropriately" is not only offensive, it feeds into the Glenn Becks and Sean Hannitys of the world who like to hit Obama around like a ping-pong ball for being spineless.

Bold leadership doesn't let politically correct timelines dictate when equal rights are good policy. Bold leadership recognizes that equal rights should have happened yesterday. Come on: if Obama was willing to stick his neck out for Chicago's Olympic bid despite the bad PR hit, he should be willing to stick his neck out on an issue where the majority of the U.S. public agrees with his position -- that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" has got to go.

(Photo courtesy of theslowlane's photostream on Flickr.)

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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