Repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy

Gates says repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is no longer a question of "whether," but "how"

Updated: Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 | By Louis Jacobson

During his first year as president, Barack Obama and the Pentagon brass did little to advance a repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy that has governed the service of gay and lesbian Americans in the military since 1993. So we rated this promise Stalled.

But with new words of support from Obama and a plan from Defense Secretary Robert Gates, we're ready to move the needle on our Obameter.

The policy, which prohibits gays and lesbians from openly serving in the military, has been attacked for years by gay activists and was a prominent target for Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign.

In his State of the Union address on Jan. 27, 2010, Obama said, "This year, I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are."

Six days later, Obama's top Pentagon officials offered the Senate Armed Services Committee details on how Obama's pledge will be carried out.

“The question before us is not whether the military prepares to make this change, but how we best prepare for it,” said Gates. “We have received our orders from the commander in chief and we are moving out accordingly."

Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Michael Mullen, speaking "for myself and myself only," added that he is in favor of “allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly" in the armed forces.

“No matter how I look at the 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,” said Mullen, the nation's top-ranking uniformed officer.

Gates and Mullen cautioned that the switch would not be immediate. Not only does Congress need to change the current law, but the Pentagon will first carry out a detailed "implementation plan" led by Pentagon legal counsel Jeh Johnson and Gen. Carter Ham, who commands the United States Army in Europe. It's likely to take months for the Pentagon to complete its plan.

In the shorter term, Gates said that the Pentagon would move toward enforcing the current policy "in a fairer manner." Gates established a timeline of 45 days for those changes.

"We believe that we have a degree of latitude within the existing law to change our internal procedures in a manner that is more appropriate and fair to our men and women in uniform,” Gates said.

Gay-rights activists applauded the statements by Gates and Mullen, while also urging that the Pentagon not let the Johnson-Ham report delay implementation.

Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, called Gates' and Mullen's comments a "historic step forward," while Servicemembers Legal Defense Network executive director Aubrey Sarvis intepreted their testimony as "a roadmap for full repeal."

It's too early to call this a Promise Kept. But the testimony by Gates and Mullen leaves little doubt that the administration is taking tangible steps toward a repeal. So we'll rate this one In the Works.

(Editor's note: Our original wording for this promise was "Call for repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell." But in reviewing the source of the original campaign promise, we have concluded that Obama was promising to repeal the policy, not just to speak in favor of the repeal.)

Sources:New York Times, "Top Defense Officials Seek to End ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ Feb. 2, 2010

Washington Post, "Defense officials' testimony urges lifting of 'don't ask, don't tell' policy," Feb 2, 2010

Human Rights Campaign, statement on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Feb. 2, 2010

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, statement on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Feb. 2, 2010

Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, statement on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Feb. 2, 2010

Obama's repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" on the back burner

Updated: Monday, March 30th, 2009 | By Angie Drobnic Holan

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in an interview that he's not actively pursuing a repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," rule, which prohibits gays and lesbians from openly serving in the military. The admission came at the end of an interview on Fox News Sunday .

"In January, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs gave a one-word answer, 'yes,' when asked if this president is going to end the policy of 'don't ask, don't tell' for gays in the military," said moderator Chris Wallace. "Where does that stand? And why is there currently money in the 2010 budget to keep enforcing that policy?"

"Well, it continues to be the law," Gates said. "And any change in the policy would require a change in the law. We will follow the law, whatever it is.

That dialogue, though, has really not progressed very far at this point in the administration. I think 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."

As for Gates' point about his full plate, the question on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" came at the end of a long interview that covered the following: President Barack Obama's renewed military commitment to Afghanistan, Pakistan's relationship with the Taliban and other extremists, an upcoming NATO summit in Europe, North Korea's threats of a missile launch, possible billion-dollar cuts to the defense budget, Iran's nuclear capabilities and security issues on the border with Mexico.

Obama can't unilaterally undo "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Congress has to repeal said the policy. Gates said he and Obama were pushing this promise "down the road," which indicates they're not urging its passage right now, and that the dialogue on it has not progressed. So we rate this promise Stalled.

Sources:Fox News Sunday, Interview with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates , March 29, 2009

Change.gov, Robert Gibbs answers question on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" , Jan. 9, 2009