Wed Mar 04, 2009 at 06:25:02 AM EST
|
(This is a guest piece by Dr. Aaron Belkin from the Palm Center at UC-Santa Barbara. We asked him to post here because he's one of the experts on the military's DADT policy. - promoted by Brandon Friedman)
A Catch-22 is now paralyzing the movement to lift the gay ban. Many members of Congress are fearful that supporting repeal could cost them political support, despite polls showing overwhelming support for openly gay service members even in conservative circles. Because of that fear, those lawmakers seek to pass the buck to the Pentagon. But senior insiders in the Pentagon are unwilling to tackle "don't ask, don't tell" because they view the issue as a "hot potato," so they pass the buck back to Congress. It thus is highly likely that service by openly gay personnel will happen only through an order by civilians. As my colleague Dr. Nathaniel Frank notes in his new book Unfriendly Fire: How the Gay Ban Undermines the Military and Weakens America, militaries in other countries that lifted their bans acted to end discrimination only when so ordered, not on their own volition. Frank explains that in 1993, Ambassador John Holum, the incoming Clinton administration's representative on the issue, consulted extensively with all levels of the U.S. military, ranging from the Joint Chiefs of Staff to enlisted personnel. Despite these consultative efforts, the Chiefs claimed in public that they had not been sufficiently consulted.
This precedent suggests that, whether the Obama administration consults with the military or not, Pentagon leaders may claim that they have not been adequately consulted. Thus, despite the President's pledge to take military perspectives into account on this issue, he must realize that (1) He may be accused of not consulting with the Pentagon whatever he does; (2) If he does consult, he will be told that most service members do not want the ban to be repealed, thus boxing himself in; (3) Significant support for repeal exists within the military, but there is enormous institutional pressure to avoid expressing that support, which hence does not get registered in consultation; (4) A significant cadre of military leadership, although they will not acknowledge so in public, want the politicians to tell them what to do on this issue so as to give them cover; (5) While many people in the military oppose policy change, the percentage that feels strongly that gay men and lesbians should not be allowed to serve openly is quite small; (6) Even among opponents of repeal, most military members understand its inevitability.
In the next several weeks, we will be releasing a study, which we will post on our web site, explaining the legal justification for an executive order suspending the gay discharge process. President Obama does not need to wait for Congress. He can suspend the implementation of the ban with a stroke of the pen. Eighty-one percent of the public, according to a new CNN poll, supports allowing open gay service. A group of 104 retired generals and admirals recently signed a statement calling for repeal. If President Obama listens to the voices calling for equality, he will improve the military and affirm the best traditions of American democracy.
Aaron Belkin is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His publications have appeared in International Security, Armed Forces and Society, the Journal of Conflict Resolution, Parameters (the official journal of the U.S. Army War College) and elsewhere, and he has made presentations on gays in the military at the Army War College, National Defense University, Naval Postgraduate School, and U.S. Military Academy at West Point. |
| Aaron Belkin :: President Obama Should End DADT with the Stroke of a Pen |
|
|
|
| VetVoice on Social Media |
|
| VetVoice Recommends |
|
"The War I Always Wanted,"
By Brandon Friedman
"The welcome mat for memoirs by veterans of operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom might never wear out so long as they write with the savvy of Brandon Friedman . . . Friedman's take is vivid, frank, precise and dramatic."
--Military Times
"Add Brandon Friedman's The War I Always Wanted to the ranks of outstanding non-fiction produced by officers from elite combat units in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Always truthful, often excruciatingly so, The War I Always Wanted rises at numerous points to the level of literature."
--Steven Pressfield, author of Gates of Fire
Buy The War I Always Wanted here.
"A Time To Lead,"
By General (Ret.) Wesley K. Clark
"A Time To Lead confirms the rewarding benefits of military service at a time when such service is experiencing considerable strain. It also includes a comprehensive description of America's current national imperatives, which deserve serious consideration."
--General Alexander M. Haig, Jr., former Secretary of State
"This is a primer on leadership forged in battle and by decades of experience. . .This isn't just a book; it's a manual for leading people and living a good life."
--Barry McCaffrey, General, USA (ret.)
Buy A Time to Lead here.
"Love My Rifle More Than You,"
By Kayla Williams
"Whip smart, sassy, with a mouth as foul as a sailor's, 28-year-old Sergeant Kayla Williams. . .tells what it's like to be a female soldier in Iraq."
--Booklist
". . .echoes military memoirists from Julius Caesar to Ernie Pyle."
--Publishers Weekly
". . .a shocking, on-the-ground view of one military woman's experience in Iraq."
--Bookmarks Magazine
Buy Love My Rifle More Than You here.
"How to Break a Terrorist,"
By Matthew Alexander
"...a riveting, fast-paced account that reads like a first-rate thriller."
--Publisher's Weekly
" ...an absorbing behind-the-scenes look at the secret intelligence war within a war."
--Military.com
Buy How to Break a Terrorist here.
|
| RSS Feed Links |
|
Subscribe to VetVoice in a feed reader!
Subscribe to VetVoice by Email!
|
|
Diaries and comments at VetVoice do not necessarily represent the views of VoteVets.org. VetVoice will strive to remove any illegal material as soon as it is flagged. Similarly, VetVoice will use its discretion in determining whether to remove exceedingly offensive material. However, between posting and removal, any offensive or illegal material does not reflect the condoning or endorsing of said material by VoteVets.org or VetVoice.
Similarly, the views expressed on this website are those of the authors alone. Opinions on this website do not necessarily represent the views of the Department of Defense or any of its components.
|
| Veteran Candidates We Support |
- Congressman John Boccieri, U.S. House, Ohio-16
- Congressman Chris Carney, U.S. House, Pennsylvania-10
- Bryan Lentz, U.S. House, Pennsylvania-7
- Congressman Walt Minnick, U.S. House, Idaho-1
- Congressman Patrick Murphy, U.S. House, Pennsylvania-8
- Congressman Gary Peters, U.S. House, Michigan-9
- Congressman Joe Sestak, U.S. House, Pennsylvania-7
- Tommy Sowers, U.S. House, Missouri-8
- Manan Trivedi, U.S. House, Pennsylvania-6
- Congressman Tim Walz, U.S. House, Minnesota-1
- Emerging Leaders: State and Local Candidates
|
| Contact Your Elected Leaders |
|
|
|
