By Dave Lindorff
Candidate Barack Obama, running for president, vowed to end the ludicrous Pentagon policy of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which, since it was established in 1993 by President Clinton has required gay and lesbian members of the uniformed services to hide their sexual orientation or be drummed out of the service.
In 2009, just installed in the White House, President Obama reiterated that the policy "doesn't contribute to our national security."
But now that a federal judge has ruled the policy to be unconstitutional, and has more recently issued an injunction barring the Pentagon from enforcing it, the president has responded not by deciding to let the court order stand, thus ending this particular form of discrimination against gays and lesbians, but rather by appealing the decision in an attempt to reverse it.
This is a case of the President/Commander-in-Chief following his own pathetic political policy of "Don't Act, Don't Lead."
Cowed by opposition from his own Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who wants time to "study" the issue of elimiinating Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and from his generals, many of whom are opposed outright to gays in the military, Obama has kicked the can down the road yet again.
Why should we be surprised? This is classic Obama.
Afraid of the Republicans, he gave us half an economic stimulus plan back in early 2009, and as a consequence, today we still have an official unemployment rate of 9.7% (and an unnofficial, real unemployment rate of double that).
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