Obama Going to End Don't Ask/Don't Tell Military Policy

"sit down and shut up?"

is that how you demonstrate how "liberal" you are?

 

Obama has already done more in half a term for gay rights than Bush did in 8 years.

You've shown time and again that your so called pro gay rights stance is paper thin.

 

I think Obama's "compromise" is another unnecessarily centrist position and accordingly, a giant load of bull****.

Greenwald tweeted that Webb plans to vote NO because he thinks the white house and gates are both advocating the no position.

This is a ridiculous position Obama, just enact the ****ing change.

 

What exactly?

 

Yeah, I don't really get The Obama. I'm also annoyed by his efforts to prove that he's not a liberal.

If we had a healthy political system, it'd be one step away from disillusioned.

 

Every time I forget why I want to get the hell out of Houston I just read the comments in the Chronicle following any article about politics, religion or science.

 

other than be a cynical hypocrite, what exactly has he done?

bush at least had the virtue of being honest.

 

The thing is, it's not even working. AT ALL. His attempts to appeal to the nucking futs winger crowd is just pissing people off.

I'm pissed. I've been pissed. He's really not accomplished anything of note, and I'd argue that because he just prefers pragmatism and moderation to taking a stand. His speech about being willing to not get a 2nd term for his goals was BS. He just changed the goals.

 

Ummm, he passed the largest piece of health care reform in decades. He's about to pass one of the largest pieces of financial reform in decades. He passed a $750B stimulus spending bill within months of taking office. Regardless of whether you agree with the bills or not, most presidents don't accomplish even one of these things. His agenda is as ambitious as any President in decades, and he's doing it in the midst of a national economic crisis with an opposition party that is as unified in opposition as any in recent memory (and possibly in all of US history).

The fact that you're pissed off is evidence of exactly why it's working - appealing to progressives simply alienates him from moderate GOPers and the Blue Dog Dems he will need to do anything. If he unilaterally changes Pentagon policy in regards to DADT, he immediately loses all the GOP support he currently has (and he does have several GOP Senators on board) and will need to change the law. So you get a temporary change that can be reversed whenever there is a GOP administration. He doesn't go all out with the liberal route and fail (see health care, 1994). He instead has gone the moderate route and actually managed to pull off major changes.

DADT will be repealed. And it will be done permanently and by law. That's much better than the alternative of trying to do it now and ending up with a failed policy.

 

It was good and bad. I was not pleased with how he handled it. I think he let it get away from him right from the get-go and then compromised as needed to basically gut any semblance of effective change initially proposed. Sure, I am pleased about a good bit of the bill, but the compromised solutions are pretty ugly, and largely unnecessary or excessive.

I give him that. This bill appears to be actually getting stronger, of all the amazing things.

I'm not sold on the long-term benefits of the bill. I guess I'm not terribly willing to praise government folks who spend money. That's hardly a challenge.

Fair point.

Fair points.

 

Yes. I think about 99% of this board would agree it's well past time you did that.

 

the little things that change that make this country a little better. there are some stupid ass laws out there.

go obama

 

Dumb question: Isn't military recruitment policy set by the military? Couldn't the President end DADT by a legitimate executive order? Why does Congress need to pass a law about this at all?

 

I think Major did a good job explaining that above. The idea is to prohibit future changes of the policy.

 

you need to take a Valium. Dr. Krauthammer will write the prescription.

 

facts and actual procedures mean little to basso. It is far more important to attack Obama or not give the credit he deserves even if it's based on things that aren't true or accurate.

 

plagiarizing again I see

 

Don't Ask Don't Tell is an act of Congress and it takes an act of Congress to change it.