Gays-In-Military Issue Cools
As elections draw near amid high unemployment, parties see little point in restarting once-volatile debate.
March 16, 2010
Washington -- For many lawmakers, "don't ask, don't tell" makes a lot of sense -- for themselves.
Eight months before elections, neither party sees much to gain in stirring up the once-volatile issue of letting gays serve openly in the military. Any candidate who isn't laser-focused on jobs is making a big mistake, strategists from both parties said recently, noting that public support for gay rights has grown substantially in recent years.
Only a decade or so ago, if the Pentagon and White House had suggested such a policy change, it probably would have triggered public outcries similar to those that tripped up Bill Clinton in 1993 and led to the "don't ask, don't tell" compromise.
But the Pentagon's top leaders recently embraced President Barack Obama's call to phase out the policy that bars gay men and lesbians from military service if they divulge their sexual orientation. The political reaction? Barely a whisper.
The National Republican Congressional Committee, which is heading the GOP bid to gain dozens of House seats this November, said its official position was summarized by House Republican leader John Boehner.
"I don't think it will be a campaign issue," Boehner told NBC weeks ago. "In the middle of two wars, and in the middle of this giant security threat, why would we want to get into this debate?"
Some saw his comments as a mild swipe at Obama. But the president got a boost last month when retired Gen. Colin L. Powell, once the nation's top military commander, reversed his previous opposition to letting gays serve openly.
Slow, Careful Review
Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mike Mullen testified last month before the House Armed Services committee, and they received only a smattering of questions or comments from lawmakers about the topic that dominated their testimony before senators a day earlier.
But like the chiefs of the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines, Gates and Mullen have advocated starting with a slow, careful Pentagon review of the issue.
The chairmen of that review -- Jeh C. Johnson, the Defense Department's top legal counsel, and Gen. Carter F. Ham, the commander of the U.S. Army in Europe -- told the House panel that they would complete their study by Dec. 1.
They also said they would talk to active-duty gay men and lesbians as part of that review, although under the current policy such conversations are supposed to lead to discharges. Johnson told the panel that he and Ham were looking for "mechanisms for how to do that within the confines of the law."
"Military readiness and effectiveness must retain primacy here," said Ham.
Republican political strategist David Winston said he's not surprised that campaign leaders from both parties are advising candidates to avoid the gays-in-the-military issue.
With unemployment at 10 percent, Winston said, "whenever you're not talking about jobs and the economy, you're talking about something the public's not focused on."
Winston said Obama took a political risk by calling for the policy change in his State of the Union address in January. Democratic activists said the president was under pressure to make some concessions to gay rights activists who feel somewhat ignored after strongly backing his campaign.
It's certainly possible that the gays and military subject will arise in some congressional campaigns this year.
Earlier this month, 13 senators led by Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York introduced legislation that would repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
" 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' is an unjust and discriminatory measure that hampers our national security and violates the civil rights of some of the bravest, most heroic Americans," said Gillibrand. "This policy is wrong for our national security and inconsistent with the moral foundation upon which our country was founded."
Lieberman and the Democratic senators enlisted the son of conservative Republican legend Barry Goldwater to endorse the proposal. "You don't have to be straight to shoot straight," said Barry Goldwater Jr., a combat veteran and former California Republican congressman.
Broadening Military's Reach
The legislation would repeal the law that prevents gay Americans from openly serving in the military, as well as prohibit discrimination against current and prospective service members on the basis of sexual orientation.
"The bottom line is that we have a volunteer military," said Lieberman, an independent. "If Americans want to serve, they ought to have the right to be considered for that service regardless of characteristics such as race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation."
The proposal's sponsors argue the bill would help the U.S. military recruit and retain personnel and broaden the reach of the Reserve Officer Training Corps because ROTC is currently banned from many college campuses as a result of the Pentagon's policy.
Other co-sponsors include Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Detroit.
"I did not find the arguments used to justify 'don't ask, don't tell' convincing when it took effect in 1993, and they are less so now," said Levin. "This legislation will do what other armies have already done -- without having an adverse effect on good order and discipline or unit cohesion. Gays are serving successfully in our military right now -- this legislation would allow them to serve with integrity."
At least 28 countries, including Great Britain, Australia, Canada and Israel, allow open service by lesbian and gay troops.
More than 13,000 members of the U.S. military have been discharged since the law was enacted in 1993, including much-needed Arabic translators. Many were forced out because others made their sexual orientation public.
Shifts In Opinion
Opinion polls show significant shifts in attitudes toward gays serving in the military. The changes have occurred as five states and the District of Columbia have legalized same-sex marriages.
Pew Research polls found support for gays serving openly in the military rose from just over half of all Americans in 1994 to nearly 60 percent in 2005 and later years. Opposition dropped from 45 percent to 32 percent, and the proportion of people "strongly opposed" dropped by half, to 13 percent.
A USA Today/Gallup poll from mid-2009 showed even stronger support for letting gays serve openly in the military: 69 percent in favor, 26 opposed and 6 percent unsure. Among Republicans and conservatives, the rate of support was 58 percent. Support ran lowest in the South and among older Americans, but it easily exceeded 50 percent among those groups.
Rep. Buck McKeon, R-Calif., said at the recent Armed Services Committee hearing that lawmakers will want the Pentagon to show "concrete, in-depth evidence that readiness concerns require a change and that such a change would not degrade wartime military readiness in any measurable, significant way."
As elections draw near amid high unemployment, parties see little point in restarting once-volatile debate.
March 16, 2010
Washington -- For many lawmakers, "don't ask, don't tell" makes a lot of sense -- for themselves.
Eight months before elections, neither party sees much to gain in stirring up the once-volatile issue of letting gays serve openly in the military. Any candidate who isn't laser-focused on jobs is making a big mistake, strategists from both parties said recently, noting that public support for gay rights has grown substantially in recent years.
Only a decade or so ago, if the Pentagon and White House had suggested such a policy change, it probably would have triggered public outcries similar to those that tripped up Bill Clinton in 1993 and led to the "don't ask, don't tell" compromise.
But the Pentagon's top leaders recently embraced President Barack Obama's call to phase out the policy that bars gay men and lesbians from military service if they divulge their sexual orientation. The political reaction? Barely a whisper.
The National Republican Congressional Committee, which is heading the GOP bid to gain dozens of House seats this November, said its official position was summarized by House Republican leader John Boehner.
"I don't think it will be a campaign issue," Boehner told NBC weeks ago. "In the middle of two wars, and in the middle of this giant security threat, why would we want to get into this debate?"
Some saw his comments as a mild swipe at Obama. But the president got a boost last month when retired Gen. Colin L. Powell, once the nation's top military commander, reversed his previous opposition to letting gays serve openly.
Slow, Careful Review
Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mike Mullen testified last month before the House Armed Services committee, and they received only a smattering of questions or comments from lawmakers about the topic that dominated their testimony before senators a day earlier.
But like the chiefs of the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines, Gates and Mullen have advocated starting with a slow, careful Pentagon review of the issue.
The chairmen of that review -- Jeh C. Johnson, the Defense Department's top legal counsel, and Gen. Carter F. Ham, the commander of the U.S. Army in Europe -- told the House panel that they would complete their study by Dec. 1.
They also said they would talk to active-duty gay men and lesbians as part of that review, although under the current policy such conversations are supposed to lead to discharges. Johnson told the panel that he and Ham were looking for "mechanisms for how to do that within the confines of the law."
"Military readiness and effectiveness must retain primacy here," said Ham.
Republican political strategist David Winston said he's not surprised that campaign leaders from both parties are advising candidates to avoid the gays-in-the-military issue.
With unemployment at 10 percent, Winston said, "whenever you're not talking about jobs and the economy, you're talking about something the public's not focused on."
Winston said Obama took a political risk by calling for the policy change in his State of the Union address in January. Democratic activists said the president was under pressure to make some concessions to gay rights activists who feel somewhat ignored after strongly backing his campaign.
It's certainly possible that the gays and military subject will arise in some congressional campaigns this year.
Earlier this month, 13 senators led by Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York introduced legislation that would repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
" 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' is an unjust and discriminatory measure that hampers our national security and violates the civil rights of some of the bravest, most heroic Americans," said Gillibrand. "This policy is wrong for our national security and inconsistent with the moral foundation upon which our country was founded."
Lieberman and the Democratic senators enlisted the son of conservative Republican legend Barry Goldwater to endorse the proposal. "You don't have to be straight to shoot straight," said Barry Goldwater Jr., a combat veteran and former California Republican congressman.
Broadening Military's Reach
The legislation would repeal the law that prevents gay Americans from openly serving in the military, as well as prohibit discrimination against current and prospective service members on the basis of sexual orientation.
"The bottom line is that we have a volunteer military," said Lieberman, an independent. "If Americans want to serve, they ought to have the right to be considered for that service regardless of characteristics such as race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation."
The proposal's sponsors argue the bill would help the U.S. military recruit and retain personnel and broaden the reach of the Reserve Officer Training Corps because ROTC is currently banned from many college campuses as a result of the Pentagon's policy.
Other co-sponsors include Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Detroit.
"I did not find the arguments used to justify 'don't ask, don't tell' convincing when it took effect in 1993, and they are less so now," said Levin. "This legislation will do what other armies have already done -- without having an adverse effect on good order and discipline or unit cohesion. Gays are serving successfully in our military right now -- this legislation would allow them to serve with integrity."
At least 28 countries, including Great Britain, Australia, Canada and Israel, allow open service by lesbian and gay troops.
More than 13,000 members of the U.S. military have been discharged since the law was enacted in 1993, including much-needed Arabic translators. Many were forced out because others made their sexual orientation public.
Shifts In Opinion
Opinion polls show significant shifts in attitudes toward gays serving in the military. The changes have occurred as five states and the District of Columbia have legalized same-sex marriages.
Pew Research polls found support for gays serving openly in the military rose from just over half of all Americans in 1994 to nearly 60 percent in 2005 and later years. Opposition dropped from 45 percent to 32 percent, and the proportion of people "strongly opposed" dropped by half, to 13 percent.
A USA Today/Gallup poll from mid-2009 showed even stronger support for letting gays serve openly in the military: 69 percent in favor, 26 opposed and 6 percent unsure. Among Republicans and conservatives, the rate of support was 58 percent. Support ran lowest in the South and among older Americans, but it easily exceeded 50 percent among those groups.
Rep. Buck McKeon, R-Calif., said at the recent Armed Services Committee hearing that lawmakers will want the Pentagon to show "concrete, in-depth evidence that readiness concerns require a change and that such a change would not degrade wartime military readiness in any measurable, significant way."
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments may be moderated and will appear within 12 hours if approved.