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Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Congress Will Defeat Tauscher Bill for Gays in the Military
On March 3 Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA) re-introduced legislation (H.R. 1283) to repeal the 1993 law, Section 654, Title 10, which is commonly mislabeled "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." In response, CMR President Elaine Donnelly issued a news release confidently predicting that efforts by liberals in Congress to repeal the 1993 law would not succeed.
"Members of Congress are starting to take this issue seriously," Donnelly said. "Indications are that repeal of the 1993 law would hurt the 'Three R's,' recruiting, retention, and overall readiness in the volunteer force." She added, "The illusion of momentum will not be enough to overcome opposition among military people and doubts among members of Congress on both sides of the aisle who support the military." In the view of CMR, Congress should focus on the readiness of our military and its ability to remain the most effective fighting force in the world.
Donnelly emphasized that the annual Military Times Poll of almost 2,000 active duty subscribers found that 58% of respondents supported current law-for four years in a row. The 2008 survey also found that 10% said they would not re-enlist if Congress repeals the 1993 law, and an additional 14% said they would consider leaving.
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Between the lines of this Politico article, titled "Obama Faces Test on Gay Military Ban," there is evidence of more resistance in Congress than Ellen Tauscher expected. Note the pressure from gay activists on President Barack Obama. They want him to push hard and move quickly "so that he can play offense on the debate, rather than be forced into a defensive posture." How he would do this is unclear, but such an effort probably would be seen as overbearing, especially at a time when internal Pentagon controversies are simmering on several national security issues of tremendous importance.
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In this commentary for Human Events, "Democrats Launch Efforts to Repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,'" retired Army Lt. Col. Bob Maginnis provides some historic background about his role at the Pentagon when the 1993 law and Clinton's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" proposal were being considered.
Letters from Active Duty Personnel
To remind everyone of what this exercise is all about, here are two well-reasoned letters from active duty Army Warrant Officers, provided by Commander Wayne L. Johnson JAGC Navy (Ret.): HTTP://WWW.ARMYTIMES.COM/COMMUNITY/OPINION/ARMY_OPINION_LETTERS_030209/
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