Military wants more time before gay ban ends

[Roon]

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon wants more time before the ban on gays serving openly in the military is reversed.
A senior military official said that while President Barack Obama has been clear that he wants to repeal the Clinton-era policy of "don't ask, don't tell," there is no specific timeline to do it. The official says that leaves room that the military wants to use to make sure the eventual change goes well.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30888597/

[Liberal Veteran]

1. That can't be true. I have it on excellent authority that Obama threw us under the bus...

....because he didn't rescind the policy 30 seconds after his swearing in.

[konnichi wa]

2. Well someone was lying to you. He can't change it by himself, it's a law.

Only congress can do it.

[Bluebear]

5. And you are quite mistaken. He can institute a stop-loss policy NOW.

So that no more lives are disrupted.

[ZombieHorde]

10. He can hault the discharges.

http://www.365gay.com/news/study-obama-doesnt-need-congress-to-halt-gay-discharges/

[ZombieHorde]

11. I think we are past the 30 second mark. nt

[msongs]

3. 10 million years oughta do it, or until every soldier has 500 bibles each nt

[izquierdista]

4. It takes time to plan a coming out party

All those senior Pentagon officials have so many things to do: manicure, pedicure, close shave, make up, press the dress uniform, etc.

[Renew Deal]

6. It will be a great day when that crap policy ends.

I wish Obama would stop enforcing it, but he's not the king.

[UndertheOcean]

7. Why ?

[ThirdWorldJohn]

8. So a gay spouse married in Mass. could not serve then? nt

[Sebastian Doyle]

9. As I said in another thread on this subject, EVERYONE in the military should "come out"

....including all the heterosexuals. Because that would leave the military with two options: 1) Lose DADT. 2) End all US occupations and bring everybody home, since all those "gays" would be ineligible for service under the current policy.

Either result would be a good thing. Hopefully BOTH would be the long term result (ending the stupid policy AND the stupider occupations)

[ZombieHorde]

12. I so wish that would happen. nt

[KharmaTrain]

13. They Couldn't Officially Desegregate The Military Until 1948

While many here (yours truly included) consider the term "wartime" a farce, in our over-stretch military it's a reality. They are dug deep in two quagmires and battling both ongoing mission creep and low morale. Speak on the QT to anyone in the military and their biggest wish was this invasion never took place and that it was over. Nonetheless, every day another American soldier dies in these ugly, forgotten wars for profit.

The military needs time to rest and heal before it can change. While blacks served galiantly during WWII, they were still treated as second class on an official basis. It wasn't until after demobilization did Truman push for the military to officially end segregation. I see this happening once the adventurism in the Middle East (or at least this phase) comes to an end...done quietly and in the positive context of helping rebuild the military.