Don't Wait, Don't Capitulate

While I'm loathe to take anything written on the pages of the Washington Times at face value, if their story about Obama waiting until 2010 to push for a repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell is true, then it is a very bad decision.

By waiting, it sends the message that this is just a neat little move towards social progress, nice, but not that important. By acting soon, Obama can legitimately say that this is not simply an issue of civil rights for gays, but a national security issue. We, as a country, can't afford to exclude 3-5% of the population from service, many of whom have skills which are valued by the military, simply because they prefer a person of the same sex.

There doesn't need to be discussion with the military brass about this issue, that is what got us into this DADT mess to begin with, and why we'll need legislation to fix something that we should be able to correct with an executive order. There doesn't need to be a commission, or study group, simply pass the law, give the military their orders, and if anyone can't accept it, then they aren't disciplined enough to be in the military in the first place.