WON'T RUSH, DOESN'T CARE:

Obama in no hurry to end 'don't ask, don't tell': He made a campaign pledge to lift the ban on gays in the military. But neither he nor Congress appears ready to reopen the debate. (Carol J. Williams, May 19, 2009, LA Times)

President Obama's campaign vow to end the ban on gays in the military -- and the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that forces thousands of military personnel to stay in the closet -- appears to be driven now by a strategy of "don't rush." [...]

[N]either Congress nor the White House appears eager to reopen the bitter debate over gays in the military that rocked the early months of the Clinton administration.

"They're caught in a political double bind. If they move too quickly, they will expend political capital with the military and Congress. Yet if they move too slowly, they will alienate a core constituency and fail to deliver on a very clear campaign promise," said Aaron Belkin, director of the UC Santa Barbara institute.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said recently that if the ban were lifted, it would be difficult for the military to restructure its units to accommodate homosexuals. National security advisor James L. Jones Jr. also has reacted coolly to the prospect of lifting the ban.

There's nothing in it for the UR in changing the policy.

Posted by Orrin Judd at May 20, 2009 7:30 AM