Obama: Repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell' possible (Obama supports openly gay military)

MSNBC ^ | 4/10/2008 | ap

[tobyhill]

WASHINGTON - Barack Obama says if elected president he will not require that his Joint Chiefs of Staff be opposed to the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that prevents gays from serving openly in the military.

The Democratic presidential front-runner favors repealing the policy, which was instituted during the Clinton administration. He said his priority for the Joint Chiefs will be that they make decisions to strengthen the military and keep the country safe, not their position on the policy.

"I would never make this a litmus test for the Joint Chiefs of Staff," Obama said in an interview with The Advocate, a gay newsmagazine.

[elhombrelibre]

OUTSTANDING! He needs to come out in favor of allowing for anyone to serve regardless. Let's hear him champion bestiality, incest, polygamy, trangender service, and the always neglected necrophiliacs. Let your inner Liberal out, Obama. You da man.

[tobyhill]

He’s so main stream! /s

[rjp2005]

Amazing - he can’t even stand for his own liberal positions.

At least Hillary said she’d flat out repeal it. Obama is a well maybe we can...

[elhombrelibre]

He needs to get out in front on these issues. Where's his sense of Progressivism? If he won't stand up for the trans-gender troops, he's a wimp.

[skimbell]

What I find astounding and I never would have imagined possible, is that Obama actually make Hillary look reasonable.

[MSF BU]

Hillary cannot unilaterally repeal it; it is the law.

[HawaiianGecko]

 I'm for at least a division of homosexuals.  Imagine the fear of Muslims in the tribal areas of Pakistan looking up and seeing a battalion of rump rangers parachuting into your midst.  The horror, the horror. 

[tobyhill]

****Asked what he could reasonably accomplish for the gay community as president, Obama said he can “reasonably see” repeal of the “don't ask, don't tell” policy as well as signing legislation to ban workplace discrimination against gays. He said he'd like transgendered people to be covered by the law, but thinks it would be tough to get such legislation through Congress.****

This whole article missed the point of don't ask don't tell meaning gays could serve as long as they didn't tell and no one was to ask but Obama’s position (LOL) is that he wants a military where Fairy Jerry can openly be merry.

[Alter Kaker]

I've really never understood this issue. Most armies, including the British and the Israeli, allow homosexuals to serve. In Israel, there certainly haven't been any appreciable negative consequences. Everybody serves, including people I may not agree with and people I may not like. I happen to live in Israel, and surrounded by 400 million Arabs, we don't have the luxury of turning away willing soldiers.

Duty is duty, and being a homosexual doesn't impair one's ability to hold a rifle as far as I can tell.

[reagan_fanatic]

The more people find out about this guy, the less likely they’re going to vote for him (orgasmic Obama women excluded, of course.)

[depressed in 06]

I suspect he has to get who he can. His crowd is scarcely likely to run out and join his military. His constituency is far left that is against war. Those in now will have to get out, go home and protect their families, they are going to need it.

[tobyhill]

The issue is the gays that serve under the don't ask don't tell policy want more and they have Obama supporting them. They want an openly gay military where no closet is needed.

[fr_freak]

I've really never understood this issue. Most armies, including the British and the Israeli, allow homosexuals to serve.

As it stands right now, homosexuals ARE allowed to serve in the US military. All they have to do is SHUTUP ABOUT IT. But that appears to be too much for them.

[Alter Kaker]

They want an openly gay military where no closet is needed.

In Israel, you can be openly gay and serve in the IDF. You're not, of course, allowed to sexually harass your fellow soldiers, or fraternize. You do that, you wind up in the brig. I don't think it's about approving or disapproving of their lifestyle -- it's just a question of defending the country.

[massgopguy]

What the Left wants is a military that looks like our public schools. Root out all vestiges of those opposed to the Gay Agenda. Then you’ll have a military that won’t be averse to oppressing Christians.

[tobyhill]

There is more potential for such openness to become problematic for everyone.

[kabar]

Israel allowed gays to serve openly in 1993 and the British changed in 2000. The question is has the performance of the military been degraded in any way by these changes. The military is a laboratory for social engineering. Performance should be the bottom line [no pun intended.]

Israel has the draft so it would be hard to measure if this change has affected recruitment. And the Brits have been continually reducing the size of its military.

[kabar]

The military is not a laboratory for social engineering