It looks like Republicans, via Duncan "Not the YMCA" Hunter, were successful in thwarting the will of the majority of Americans who are ready for the elimination of the Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT) policy by adopting harmful amendments, to slow down the certification and dismantling of the discriminatory policy.
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) has issued the following rebuke:
(Washington, D.C.) Army veteran and Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis tonight issued the following statement in response to the adoption of harmful amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that threaten to delay and derail “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) repeal implementation:This is just one more example of how slow walking this policy, unlike using the template of the nations who have successfully implemented open service, has done nothing but make it easier for our enemies to throw a monkey wrench into the administration's best laid plans to bury this un-American policy for good.
“The amendments adopted tonight during mark-up of the National Defense Authorization Act in the U.S. House related to the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ represent nothing less than an assault on our nation’s senior military leaders and rank-and-file service members, who are marching toward open military service successfully. These adopted amendments to delay and derail repeal are a partisan political attempt to interject the same-sex marriage debate and other unrelated social issues into the NDAA where they have no place. Make no mistake – these votes should be a wake-up call to supporters of open service that our work is not done. Our commitment to timely certification and repeal must be redoubled as we move to the House floor to defend the progress we have made to ensure that LGB patriots can defend and serve the country they love with honesty and integrity.”
You'd think there would be some deference to the commander-in-chief's desire for making this policy change more seamless since he successfully vanquished Osama bin Laden. Can you imagine the hue and cry by Republicans, and the media, if Bush had earned precious political capital by killing Osama bin Laden and then Democrats performed this political stunt against the Bush Administration in the Armed Services Committee? I guess we are to believe President Obama understands the military when it comes to killing bin Laden, who the Bush administration no longer considered a threat, but the Grand Old Party knows best when it comes to implementing a policy that has long since been the official policy by our allies Great Britain, Israel, Canada and Australia. Those countries, who more closely observe their gay and lesbian citizen's civil rights, didn't drag their feet when it came to openly integrating their military services, either.
The Republicans are good at using fear tactics to win elections but aren't good when it comes to actual governing. They put politics and ideology before the benefits of allowing highly trained patriotic American troops to contribute with honest, open service to our nation's armed forces. Facts or studies proving the discriminatory and dishonest policy hurts our national security comes secondary to pleasing their extremist conservative base. Pathetically, when it comes to Republicans, hateful ideology and failed dogma trump national security every time.
UPDATE from Joe: Servicemembers United also issues a statement:
"Despite the passage of this amendment within the ever-hostile House Armed Services Committee, it is highly unlikely that such an amendment would ever pass the Senate and be signed by the President," said Alexander Nicholson, Executive Director of Servicemembers United and a former Army Interrogator who was discharged under DADT. "The offering of this amendment was a shameful and embarrassing waste of time. The service chiefs have unequivocally said that they do not want this extra burden forced upon them, so if Congress really values their advice on this issue they should take it and forget this unnecessary and unwanted amendment."
