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Don't Ask, Don't Tell -- Don't Bother!

Family Research Council

February 4, 2010

There were 7,340 words in President Obama's State of the Union address last Wednesday -- but Congress is only fixating on 32 of them. In eight days, one simple sentence has hurled all of Congress's legitimate business overboard and thrown a country desperate for jobs and tax relief into a fiery--and unnecessary--debate over homosexuality. Despite all of the hot issues on Capitol Hill, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" somehow shoved its way to the front of the line, generating two hearings faster than most Democrats can say "judicial nominees."

The Senate's Armed Services Committee kicked things off on Tuesday with the administration's pro-repeal reps, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Admiral Mike Mullen. Yesterday, the duo gave an encore performance to a lukewarm audience for the House committee. On one side, the sponsor of the House bill to overturn "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is complaining that the Pentagon isn't moving faster. On the other, Representatives like Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) were adamant. "The military is not civilian life," he said. Its rules don't exist to satisfy the Left's notion of "equality" or "freedom of expression." In the heat of battle, political correctness isn't a recipe for success--it's an obstruction to it.

At the very least, Army Secretary John McHugh thinks the military deserves a say. "Before the President or special interests force a change in the policy or law, Congress deserves to see from the services concrete, in-depth evidence that readiness concerns require a change and that such a change would not degrade wartime military readiness in any measurable, significant way." The House's ranking Republican, Buck McKeon (Calif.), echoed that concern. Of course, this isn't a debate most members asked for. It's yet another example of this President bringing division where there should be cohesion. It's an indication that our leader is willing to sacrifice real lives for his political one. And it shows a dangerous tendency of this President to push payoffs above priorities. The military is no place to return campaign favors--regardless of your social views.

Former Marine commandant Gen. Carl E. Mundy and 1,160 of his retired flag and general officer colleagues have spoken forcibly against it, while plenty of conservatives sit in the shadows, afraid to take a position. Other groups may be skittish to take on this issue. FRC is not. Every day, American soldiers take fire for us. This is our turn to stand on the front lines for them. To learn more, don't miss Peter Sprigg's blog post, "Everything You've Heard about 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Is Wrong."