Bill O'Reilly Tells President Obama To Stop Enforcing 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' On 'The Tonight Show W

[laughingliberal]

Bill O'Reilly made an appearance on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" Monday night, telling President Obama to stop enforcing the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy regarding gays serving in the military.

"President Obama has the power to stop this 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' business. Just sign an executive order. I don't know why it's taking so long--it's not fair. We should stop this nonsense," said O'Reilly.
Obama had promised during his campaign for presidency that he would work with lawmakers and the military to repeal the ban on gays serving openly in the military. And while the President has urged Congress to repeal DADT, he has yet to publicly address the option of an executive order.

Video at link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/28/bill-oreilly-tells-presid_n_662551.html?ir=Politics

[Dogmudgeon]

1. If it's true, we must give the Devil his due

I loathe most of O'Reilly's work, but if he takes a stand against so morally repugnant a law, I'll gladly find a few cubic millimeters of affinity in my heart for him.

If it's just a rumor, it's a sadistic one.

The world is changing. This is part of it.

--d!

[FirstTimeVoterAt37]

13. Sorry, he's a murderer

No due from me.

[Dogmudgeon]

17. As you wish

Not to start any arguments, but who did O'Reilly murder? I'd never heard that particular accusation about him.

--d!

[bullwinkle428]

19. Sure you're not confusing him with Scarborough?

[Dragonbreathp9d]

28. I agree,

credit where credit is due

[arcane1]

2. I guess that means he'll do it...

now that Fox is telling him too. Sad but true.

[theoldman]

3. I think Obama will do this but it will be after the November election.

[Bluebear]

7. Why won't Obama "do this" now? There is overwhelming national support for it.

[BootinUp]

4. I'm just a little suspicious of O'Loofahs motives. nt

[Submariner]

5. O'Lielly is just setting this up so he can take credit when Obama

gets rid of DADT. You know he'll do just that? He'll say President Obama took HIS advice. Leno should be ashamed for having
a draft dodging coward sex pervert as a guest on his show.

[Bluebear]

6. "When Obama gets rid of DADT" - Obama can't do that, we are told that here all the time.

It's strictly up to Congress and Obama has nothing to do with it. :silly:

[Proud Liberal Dem]

16. Anybody with a law degree and/or expertise regarding the US Constitution

care to chime in with a legal rationale for him being able to essentially (un-)enforce a law on a whim? Boy, think of where we'd be now if Bush/Cheney decided to (un-)enforce all kinds of laws. Well, actually, they probably did do some of that plus they made up all kinds of questionable if not unconstitutional rules and policies as they went along- which is what we supposedly hated the most about them, right.
I'm not saying that DADT doesn't need to go (it does and soon) but if it's going to happen, shouldn't it be done the right way- so that there's no chance of it being overruled or overturned by the next Republican POTUS and/or Congress? Clinton certainly did the bolder and more courageous thing of trying to lift the ban via executive order but that strategy backfired badly and helped rally the Republicans and their "base" around the military and divided Democrats in Congress- which inevitably led to DADT being enacted by Congress in the first place.
There will, of course, be some in the military whom are so bigoted and homophobic that will never accept it and will HAVE to be dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st Century but going slow and building more support for it within the ranks and in Congress- as Obama is doing- is the better strategy IMHO.

[Bluebear]

23. No, it "shouldn't be done the right way". People are getting FIRED every day and Obama could STOP it

while the Congress does it "the right way".

But Obama can't be bothered doing that. So Dan Choi is fired. Vic Fehrenbach is waiting to hear his fate any day. It's disgraceful and Obama could STOP the firings with a stroke of the pen.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

24. Can he really?

Seriously, can somebody explain exactly how he can do it? And if he legally can, what his rationale is for NOT doing it? :shrug:

[Bluebear]

25. My pleasure :))

Thank you so much for your interest and asking. This is a really bitter issue for GLBT folk.

===

A study released today by a team of military law experts shows that the president has the legal authority to end gay discharges with a single order.

. . . Many have argued that only Congress can lift the ban on service by openly gay troops. But according to the study, Congressional approval is not needed.

. . . There are three legal bases to the president’s authority, the report says. First, Congress has already granted to the Commander in Chief the statutory authority to halt military separations under 10 U.S.C. § 12305, a law which Congress titled, “Authority of President to suspend certain laws relating to promotion, retirement, and separation . . . .

. . . The second and third bases of presidential authority are contained within the “don’t ask, don’t tell” legislation itself. The law grants to the Defense Department authority to determine the process by which discharges will be carried out, saying they will proceed “under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense… in accordance with procedures set forth in such regulation.” Finally, the law calls for the discharge of service members “if” a finding of homosexuality is made, but it does not require that such a finding ever be made.

http://www.palmcenter.org/files/active/0/Executive%20Order%20on%20Gay%20Troops%20-%20final.pdf

[ruggerson]

26. Here ya go:

read up on it.

http://www.palmcenter.org/press/dadt/releases/New+Study+Says+Obama+Can+Halt+Gay+Discharges+With+Executive+Order

[Bluebear]

29. No further comment was forthcoming from the poster.

That's too bad.

[ibegurpard]

8. Bill O'Reilly: heroic defender of LGBT civil rights

yeah right...
fucking douchebag

[Tx4obama]

9. O'Reilly wants 'temporary' executive order instead of PERMANENT vote from Congress.

The only thing I can figure out is that Bill O'Reilly wants Obama to sign an executive order on DADT instead of waiting for Congress to VOTE to end DADT 'permanently'. Bill probably knows that any executive order Obama signs can be reversed by any other future president. If Bill really is serious about getting rid of DADT permanently then he'd be getting on Congress to get the repeal bill passed and get off of Obama's ass regarding the issue!

[FreeState]

10. Instead of? Why not both? n/t

[Tx4obama]

12. Legally

it seems that IF Obama were to sign a (temporary) executive order making DADT null and void,
then it would make it harder for Congress to vote to 'permanently' repeal DADT since it would not be a law/practice in use.
Perhaps a legal eagle here on DU could chime in on this issue ;)

[FreeState]

21. An executive order in no way stops congress from repealing the law n/t

[Tx4obama]

22. Please explain, how could Congress repeal something that would no longer be a law? n/t

[FreeState]

27. An executive order can temperarely stop the firings - it can't overturn law

DADT is federal law, the only way to get rid of it perminately is through congress. An executive order will only work as long as a sitting president agrees with it (the next president could over rule the order).

[slay]

11. Did hell freeze over when I wasn't looking?

or does Bill O just want to distance himself from some of extremists on Foxnews like Glenn Beck? :shrug:

[QC]

14. If only Glenn Beck would tell the president to stop the discharges.... n/t

[jah the baptist]

15. sometimes that asshole can surprise you

but he probably has a gay relative or something

[crazyjoe]

18. He disagrees with the repub's all the time. I don't think Bill's as

bad as many make him out to be. KO is kinda obsessed with him. I think he wants his ratings :-)

[David Zephyr]

20. O'Reilly is jumping on the bandwagon. DADT dies at the end of the year.

.