Bill Clinton had his butt handed to him over the issue of gays in the military. It’s no exaggeration to say that the issue created a firestorm in the opening weeks of Clinton’s presidency and was probably one of the issues that hurt the Dems in the 1994 midterm elections.
And now Hope ‘n Change seems poised to make the same mistake. From Fox News:
WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama will allow gays to serve openly in the military by overturning the controversial “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that marred President Clinton’s first days in office, according to incoming White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs.
The startling pronouncement, which could re-open a dormant battle in the culture wars and distract from other elements of Obama’s agenda, came during a Gibbs exchange with members of the public who sent in questions that were answered on YouTube.
“Thadeus of Lansing, Mich., asks, ‘Is the new administration going to get rid of the “don’t ask, don’t tell policy?’” said Gibbs, looking into the camera. “Thadeus, you don’t hear a politician give a one-word answer much. But it’s, ‘Yes.’”
The Obama transition team declined to elaborate on that one-word answer when asked by FOX News on Wednesday about a timetable for repealing the policy, which was enacted by Clinton after a protracted public debate. Obama officials also would not explain which lawmakers or Pentagon officials would attempt to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell.”
Clinton, who initially sought to overturn the longstanding ban on gays in the military, ended up enacting the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy as a compromise that made it illegal for commanders to ask about the sexual orientation of service members, who were also barred from announcing they were homosexual. If a service member’s homosexuality becomes known anyway, he or she is expelled.
As the report states, there’s no timetable for the whole thing – if it’s really the new administration’s policy. I can’t imagine that Hope ‘n Change would repeat Clinton’s early mistake. And it’s not a matter of an executive order as it was for Clinton – don’t ask, don’t tell is now statutory, so it would require Congressional action. And that will most certainly involve a heated national debate.
The question then becomes, ‘how heated’? I rather doubt that the debate would be less ferocious than 1993. And that’s got to have the gay-rights crowd nervous – particularly with all that wild video of gay protesters after Prop. 8 passed in California. In terms of pure agitprop, the ‘antis’ have the bigger guns – and a string of voter and legislative victories around the country. Any sensible politician would have to be reading those particular tea leaves.
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