Repealing 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

Politico guesses that the notion of repealing "Don't Ask Don't Tell" will do the same thing it did for Clintion, "knocked him off message, sapped him of auathority, damaged his popularity ratings and left him with a reputation for being wishy-washy that stuck." This was brought about by Rep. Ellen O. Tauscher declaring today at CAP (my generous employer) that she is introducing legislation that would repeal DADT. But as usual, Politico gets it wrong again.

Sure, Obama may not have been looking forward to dealing with DADT this early in his administration, but Congress has already been thinking about repealing this bizarre policy for a few months now. It's not surprising they might start the ball rolling on this one. Furthermore, public opinion has swung in favor -- about 55 percent at last measure -- in favor of gays and lesbians serving openly in the military.

It's also important to remember that DADT is a policy that was enacted by Clinton and one that created a great deal of problems. Before, there just wasn't a policy about gays in the military. Now, although military officials aren't required to report it, if they are "outed" they must resign. By repealing this policy, it would allow the military to leave their private lives exactly where it should be -- in private.