'Don't Ask Don't Tell' Is Officially No More

President Obama released the following statement on Tuesday to mark the end of the military’s ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ policy, which banned homosexuals from serving openly.

“Today, the discriminatory law known as ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ is finally and formally repealed.  As of today, patriotic Americans in uniform will no longer have to lie about who they are in order to serve the country they love.  As of today, our armed forces will no longer lose the extraordinary skills and combat experience of so many gay and lesbian service members. And today, as Commander in Chief, I want those who were discharged under this law to know that your country deeply values your service.

I was proud to sign the Repeal Act into law last December because I knew that it would enhance our national security, increase our military readiness, and bring us closer to the principles of equality and fairness that define us as Americans.  Today’s achievement is a tribute to all the patriots who fought and marched for change; to Members of Congress, from both parties, who voted for repeal; to our civilian and military leaders who ensured a smooth transition; and to the professionalism of our men and women in uniform who showed that they were ready to move forward together, as one team, to meet the missions we ask of them.

For more than two centuries, we have worked to extend America’s promise to all our citizens.  Our armed forces have been both a mirror and a catalyst of that progress, and our troops, including gays and lesbians, have given their lives to defend the freedoms and liberties that we cherish as Americans.  Today, every American can be proud that we have taken another great step toward keeping our military the finest in the world and toward fulfilling our nation’s founding ideals.”

Notes From Today's White House Gaggle

No big news from today’s Gaggle. Press Secretary Robert Gibbs focused a lot obviously on the tax vote, called it a “good agreement for Democrats.” Called the vote a “big win” for Obama. Said Dems clearly did not have the votes to pass a middle class-only extension. Said he was asleep when the actual vote occurred around midnight last night. Said VP Biden will introduce Obama later this afternoon before he signs the bill into law. Added that most folks in the media are probably surprised that the bill got done “with two weeks to spare…”

On START, Gibbs said he thinks the votes are there, and called Jim DeMint’s proposal to force an entire reading of the treaty “outrageous.” Of course, DeMint also threatened earlier this week to force an entire reading of the nearly 2,000-page omnibus spending bill that Harry Reid pulled the plug on late last night…

Speaking of which, on the omnibus defeat, Gibbs said the administration would have preferred to have it passed, but said Obama wanted a bill with no earmarks. Said the WH would now prefer Congress to pass a one-year clean resolution. This sentiment conflicts slightly with Robert Gates’ comment yesterday that he opposed a one-year CR, but Gibbs danced around the issue, repeating that the WH wants the 1-yr CR. Gibbs also downplayed a question on whether the omnibus defeat represented a defeat for Obama’s healthcare law (bill contained a ton of implementation funding for new law)…

On DADT, Gibbs said it’s clear that the votes are there to pass a repeal. Said Obama will be spending the next few days making calls to lawmakers urging them to support repealing DADT and passing the START treaty. He cautioned though that both bills are “not in the bag.” Gibbs guessed that Obama might leave town and head to Hawaii on Wednesday 12/22. However, he hedged a little, reminding reporters that he once predicted that Congress would finish healthcare reform 8 months before it actually happened.

On the 9/11 Responders bill, Gibbs said that although the WH hasn’t made a huge publicity push for it, they are “supportive” of it passing. Note: It is unclear whether that bill will be voted on before or after Christmas, but Reid said yesterday that he will bring it to the floor sometime before the lame-duck session ends…

Notable Quotes:

“What was the alternative plan?” (responding to a question of why the WH didn’t fight for a more progressive tax cut deal)

“I’m not the best understander of conservative grassroots.” (responding to question about the Tea Party’s role in defeating the omnibus package)

Pentagon Study Could Assist DADT Repeal

The upcoming release of the Pentagon’s study on the effects of repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” will help Senate Democrats pass the Defense Authorization Bill and effectively repeal the controversial policy, according to a senior member of a left-leaning think tank.

“Were in a solid position to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in this lame duck session,” Winnie Stachelberg, the senior Vice President for External Affairs at the Center for American Progress Action Fund, told reporters on a conference call Tuesday. “We have… 10 senators that have declared that they want to hear from the Pentagon before they take a position on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

Those senators which included Senators Scott Brown (R-Mass.), George Voinovich (R-Ohio), John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine, who voted against the bill last time it made it to the floor, but have committed to reconsidering their position once that survey is released.

The vote will likely be held in the lame duck session, before the arrival of additional Republicans in the upper chamber.

The study is slated to land on the Defense Secretary’s desk on Dec. 1^st, but the Pentagon has not yet said when it will be made public.

The last time Democrats attempted to hold a vote involving the policy barring gays from serving openly in the militarythat contained the repeal, the motion to invoke cloture failed to secure the 60 votes needed to sidestep a filibuster. 56 voted in favor, with Democratic Senators Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) and Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) withholding their support.

Group Wants Vote On DADT During Lame-Duck

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) should schedule a vote on a measure to repeal the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy as soon as Congress reconvenes, said a group of pro-gay advocates on Thursday.

Servicemembers United, an interest group representing gay and lesbian troops and veterans, released a statement urging the newly-reelected Reid to work quickly on a repeal of DADT, which is included in this year’s defense spending bill.

“The path to getting defense authorization and ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ wrapped up this year is narrow, but that path is also crystal clear,” said Servicemembers United Executive Director Alexander Nicholson. “There is neither time nor any good reason to delay bringing the authorization bill back up for reconsideration, and the first concrete action on the bill absolutely must occur before the Senate’s Thanksgiving recess.”

Reid’s initial attempt to file cloture on DADT failed back in August. Now, with Republicans poised to add to their minority in the Senate come January, the Democrats’ window of opportunity to act is diminishing rapidly. Reid said yesterday that he would prefer to vote on DADT before the end of the year, but hedged a little, reminding reporters that the Senate’s calendar will be busy during the brief session.

“The problem we have with the defense aurhorization bill is that it takes a while to get done,” he said

On December 1, the Pentagon will submit its year-long review of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” which is expected to serve as a guide for legislative action. During a news conference at the White House on Wednesday, Obama said the report “will give us time to act, potentially, during the lame-duck session to change this policy.”

Pentagon Notes

From Monday’s press gaggle with Pentagon spokesperson Colonel David Lapan.

WikiLeaks

According to Lapan, the 120 person review team set up to respond to the anticipated release of 400,000 Iraq war documents through the whistleblower website WikiLeaks has already gone over the Iraq database and will put the DoD in a position to promptly respond to possible dangers resulting from the release.

Lapan said that news organizations should not publish the leaked material so as not to legitimize WikiLeaks.

DADT

A federal judge in California is set to rule today on whether she will grant a request from the Obama administration to place a stay on an earlier order to halt the enforcement of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

If the stay is denied, Lapan said that the Pentagon will keep their recent suspension of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell in place.

When asked if the suspension has resulted in any breakdowns in unit cohesion or disciplinary troubles in the field, Lapan remarked that there were none that he was aware of, but that minor disciplinary issues in individual commands don’t typically reach him.

Bin Laden Story

Lapan didn’t have any comments on the CNN story regarding the possible location of Bin Laden, but said that there isn’t anything in it that hasn’t been reported previously.