The Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell ball is back in Obama’s Court

Last night, CNN’s Anderson Cooper interviewed 1st Lt. Dan Choi about gays in the military, Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and reviewed President Obama’s so far dismal record on gay rights and his failure to take the lead on this issue.

Choi is a West Point graduate, Iraq War vet and an Arabic linguist, who is being dismissed from the military after he announced he was gay last month on the Rachel Maddow Show….

The Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell policy says that gays and lesbians service-members can only continue serving their country if they do not reveal their sexual orientation. But Choi took issue with the idea that his sexuality was a detriment to good order and discipline in his unit and said the policy is morally wrong, as it forces gay and lesbian service people to go against the basic values of honor and honesty that are the hallmark of our military.

Also discussed was the US Supreme Court refusal yesterday to hear a case challenging the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” brought by former Army Capt. James Pietrangelo II. That case argued the policy is unconstitutional and denies gay servicemen and women due process, equal protection, and free speech. Choi was not a party to that case.

It was noted that while President Obama supported overturning the policy, enacted during the Clinton Presidency, while he was campaigning for president, the Supreme Court’s refusal to address the military issue, nevertheless, was in response to an opposition brief filed by the Obama administration requesting the Court refuse to hear the case. Had the court rejected the White House request not to hear the appeal, the administration would have had to argue for it before the High Court.

The White House is defending this controversial position by asserting that Administration will enforce Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell until the legislative process repeals the policy and has passed the buck to Congress.

But the Democrats who control Congress really don’t seem to be in a hurry to end the policy any time soon…

Ending the out-and-out ban on gays in the military caused political trouble for President Bill Clinton and Democratic lawmakers in 1993, and so far there have only been halfhearted efforts on Capitol Hill to repeal the policy, signaling to many in the LGBT community that the Democratic Congressional leadership has negligible political will to end DADT.

Obama and his congressional allies now look as if they are avoiding the issue all together while they seek support for major health care changes, immigration and other initiatives, and are appearing  fearful of aggravating voters with what they perceive as a hot button issue…

However, a Gallup Poll released Friday is saying Congress has this wrong and that a majority of Americans, 69%, now favor repealing Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell…

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