Senator Lieberman INtroduces Bill to Repeal DADT

[Faeelin]

A pity the Republicans are deadset in favor of the policy, but a bit unsurprising.

Connecticut Independent Senator Joe Lieberman will be the chief sponsor of Senate legislation to repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy that bars openly gay men and women from serving in the military.

"I will be proud to be a sponsor of the important effort to enable patriotic gay Americans to defend our national security and our founding values of freedom and opportunity," he said in a statement Monday in which he noted his longtime opposition to the policy.

"To exclude one group of Americans from serving in the armed forces is contrary to our fundamental principles as outlined in the Declaration of Independence and weakens our defenses by denying our military the service of a large group of Americans who can help our cause," said Lieberman, who has angered liberals with his resistance to Democratic orthodoxy on issues like health care reform.

The New York Daily News, which first broke the news, interviewed the Connecticut senator about his opposition to the policy, which was crafted under President Bill Clinton in 1993 following a divisive battle over gays in the military.

"My own experience as a member of the Armed Services Committee, visiting our troops on bases here in this country and abroad, particularly in war zones, the most remarkable quality you'll find is unit cohesion," the former Democrat said. "What matters is not the gender of the other person in your unit or the color or the religion or in this case the sexual orientation. It's whether that person is a good soldier you can depend on."



(CBS/iStockphoto)Lieberman's argument is backed by a new study from the Palm Center at the University of California, Santa Barbara, which has been pressing for repeal. The study, "Gays in Foreign Militaries 2010: A Global Primer," finds that fast-track integration of openly gay service members was not disruptive in countries like Britain and Canada, where it has already taken place, the New York Times reports. The study will be released Tuesday.

President Obama has repeatedly vowed to end the policy, which has meant the discharge of thousands of members of the military since implementation. He has been criticized by gay rights group for not moving more quickly on gay rights issues, including the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal.

Momentum seems to be building for repeal, thanks in large part to comments earlier this month before Congress by Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who said he personally believes the policy is wrong.

But the military's timeline has been a source of concern for advocates of repeal. Mullen and Defense Secretary Robert Gates have announced a working group to study integration of openly gay service members, which has a deadline of the end of 2010. The working group, which will poll service members for their attitudes about serving with openly gay peers, makes repeal this year unlikely.

On NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday, Gen. David H. Petraeus defended the timeline, saying the process is necessary to determine the best "policies that could be used to implement a change if it does come to that."

Lieberman, who calls repeal "an extension, the next step of the civil rights movement," says limiting the pool of possible service members by banning those who are openly gay amounts to "diminishing military effectiveness."

Republicans have resisted a repeal of the policy, which they say has been effective, and argue that this is not the time to make a change. With polls showing that a majority of Americans support repeal, it is not clear whether Senate Republicans would use the threat of filibuster to force Democrats to garner 60 votes to overturn the legislation.

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2010/02/22/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry6231571.shtml

[MadImmortalMan]

I really doubt the GOP could muster anything close to enough votes to block cloture. Too many GOP Senators are probably in favor of repeal.

[Solmyr]

Seriously, why is this man not President yet?

[Faeelin]

I really doubt the GOP could muster anything close to enough votes to block cloture. Too many GOP Senators are probably in favor of repeal.

I dunno, other than Snowe, I'm trying to think who. Even Brown's in favor of keeping the policy, and Pawlenty's now yakking about how DADT's fine.

[MadImmortalMan]

I really doubt the GOP could muster anything close to enough votes to block cloture. Too many GOP Senators are probably in favor of repeal.

I dunno, other than Snowe, I'm trying to think who. Even Brown's in favor of keeping the policy, and Pawlenty's now yakking about how DADT's fine.

Orrin Hatch is on record, IIRC.

[Barrister]

A pity the Republicans are deadset in favor of the policy, but a bit unsurprising.

[Faeelin]

A pity the Republicans are deadset in favor of the policy, but a bit unsurprising.

I mean, I can only judge people by what they say.

[Barrister]

A pity the Republicans are deadset in favor of the policy, but a bit unsurprising.

I mean, I can only judge people by what they say.

I only meant it wasn't surprising in the least.

[Faeelin]

Orrin Hatch is on record, IIRC.

WASHINGTON — Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, seemed to say on national TV Wednesday that he is open to considering repeal of the ban on gays in the military — creating an uproar on many political and gay-activist Web sites.

Then on Thursday, he issued a statement saying he does not support repeal — and blasted liberal groups for what he said was twisting his position.

"It's deeply regrettable that liberal groups are misconstruing my position on 'don't ask, don't tell' for activist purposes. I certainly do not support repealing this policy," Hatch's statement on Thursday said.

But a day earlier, MSNBC anchor Andrea Mitchell asked Hatch in a live interview about repealing the policy — as proposed by President Barack Obama in his State of the Union speech, and supported by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen.

"I believe there are very outstanding, patriotic gay people who serve in the military and they ought to be given credit for it. And they shouldn't have to lie about being gay," Hatch said.

But, he added, "On the other hand, I think a lot of people are concerned that if you do away with the 'don't ask, don't tell,' that literally then they'll come back and ask for special rights and preferences and privileges that others don't have. I don't see that either. So, like I say, I just plain do not believe in prejudice of any kind."

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700007087/Hatch-creates-uproar.html

[MadImmortalMan]

Huh. I must have heard it at the time from the Martinus News Wire.

[Faeelin]

Huh. I must have heard it at the time from the Martinus News Wire.

To be fair, he first said he was for it before he said he was against it a couple days later. (That's what the article I quoted is about).

The backflips are amusing, at least. "I want to hear from the military." "I meant someone other than Gates and Mullen. And Powell. And Petraeus."

[Fate]

Seriously, why is this man not President yet?

Joe Lieberman is never going to become President. 

[MadImmortalMan]

Huh. I must have heard it at the time from the Martinus News Wire.

To be fair, he first said he was for it before he said he was against it a couple days later. (That's what the article I quoted is about).

The backflips are amusing, at least. "I want to hear from the military." "I meant someone other than Gates and Mullen. And Powell. And Petraeus."

Seems like there is a lot of pressure on these guys to be against gays in the military where they might otherwise not care. Sad.

[Eddie Teach]

Seriously, why is this man not President yet?

Too conservative on foreign policy issues(for the Democratic primary), lacks oratorical skills.

[Fate]

Seriously, why is this man not President yet?

Too conservative on foreign policy issues(for the Democratic primary), lacks oratorical skills.

Also tends to shill for the GOP candidate over the Democrat one.