Gates Urged To Certify ‘Don’t Ask’ Repeal Before Retirement

[FreeState]

http://www.washingtonblade.com/2011/06/06/gates-urged-to-certify-dont-ask-repeal-before-retirement/

Advocates of open service say delaying certification for repeal after Gates retires on June 30 could unnecessarily add to the time before “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is off the books.

Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, said certification is essential this month before Gates leaves his duties at the Pentagon.

“I think that we need to get certification this month before Secretary Gates leaves,” Sarvis said. “My fear is we’re seeing an overabundance of caution here. If it doesn’t happen this month on Secretary Gates’ watch, I think we could easily be looking at another month or two before certification.”

Alex Nicholson, executive director of Servicemembers United, said the passing the opportunity for implementing repeal would be a “very unwise” move for Gates and predicted that certification would happen this month.

I agree it needs to be done before he leaves and before the GOP tries to stop it with amendments in unrelated bills.

[Capitalocracy]

1. When asked for comment, Gates said, "Crap, I'm never getting out of here."

I hope he does it.

[aquart]

2. Does he have the smallest excuse for NOT doing it?

Because lives are being destroyed while he shilly-shallies.

[Behind the Aegis]

3. Gay reps ask Obama to extend veto threat to DADT

The U.S. House’s four openly gay members have asked President Obama to issue a veto threat against a defense spending bill that includes a measure to delay repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

They sent the letter a week after the White House issued a statement threatening to veto the FY 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) over several provisions. Although the White House statement “strongly objected” to three amendments that sought to delay repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT), it did not threaten veto over those provisions.

The Republican-dominated House approved the bill May 26 with a number of the provisions to which the White House objected, including the three DADT amendments.

The Democratic-dominated Senate is not expected to approve the DADT amendments in its version of the bill. But a House-Senate conference committee will eventually need to agree on a final version of the bill.

In their June 3 letter to the president, Reps. Barney Frank, Tammy Baldwin, Jared Polis, and David Cicilline said “it would be the best course for you to reaffirm your strong support” for repeal of the military’s ban on openly gay servicemembers “by making it explicit that you would veto a bill …which undermined the decision” to repeal “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.”

more...

Also see: Unsettling DADT repeal news.