Update on DADT: It's the Pentagon, meaning the Obama administration, that matters

Not big news per se, but a rather important update from Kerry Eleveld at the Advocate. Basically, it sounds like things are still massively in flux, which is what we all suspected. There is no strategy.

We already know that the House is going to wait to see what the Senate does on "controversial" issues like repealing DADT. Many in the Senate are waiting to see what the Pentagon wants. The Pentagon is waiting for the White House to make the first move, and the White House is.... well, focusing on health care reform, to the detriment of seemingly every other issue on the presidential agenda.

As Kerry notes in the piece, what will be most important is what signal the White House gives in the Pentagon budget, which is presented to the Hill in the spring. But, also I think should look for a signal in the overall budget the President sends to Congress in on the first Monday in February.

We should also be watching to see what the President says about repealing DADT in the State of the Union, which is either going to be given on January 26th or February 2nd.

Bottom line is that if the repeal of DADT is included in the Department of Defense authorization, it has a good chance to pass. If the Obama administration doesn't include the language, and it has to be added by amendment, it will be a lot harder. So, on this one, the ball really is in Obama's court.

The worst thing that could happen is for the Obama administration to take a "let Congress take the lead" approach to repealing DADT. That's what they did on health care reform, they basically sat back and did nothing other than give a few speeches, only to embrace a watered down half-solution that would have been much stronger had the President actually engaged and lead. No half solutions will cut it on our civil rights. The days of "3/5ths a man" and "separate but equal" are over.