More Political Pressure on Military During War
Lawmakers this week will press the military's top uniformed officers for the first time on whether they think repealing "don't ask, don't tell" makes sense or would be too disruptive.
The testimony from each of the service chiefs on Capitol Hill will be crucial to the debate in Congress on whether to repeal the 17-year-old law, which bans gays from serving openly in the military.
President Barack Obama says the policy unfairly punishes patriots who want to serve their country. Obama is looking for ways to "pay back" the gay lobby for money and support during the last election. He has ordered Defense Secretary Robert Gates to begin a yearlong study on how to mitigate the impact of lifting the ban.
Providing much-needed political cover is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, who has said he thinks the law unfairly forces gay troops to compromise their integrity by lying about who they are.
But lawmakers, who are divided on whether to end the ban, say they want to hear from the service chiefs. They are the ones who would be in charge of putting any changes in place and responding to any fallout. While some leaders in the military have seen the new political landscape and decided to support the change, it is no secret that the military overally is strongly against the change.
"The armed forces have always placed military effectiveness above individual needs," said Rep. Gene Taylor, a conservative Democrat from Mississippi who says he is unconvinced that the ban should be lifted.
"This is one of the core concepts that has made the U.S. military one of the most effective combat forces in history," he said.
Indeed, it was outside political interference that is credited with destroying moral and leading to defeat in Vietnam, when politicians tried to micro-manage the military during war forty years ago. At that time, Congress attempted to tell generals how to fight, including which half of the bridges they should bomb.
The current policy allows fit adult to serve as long as they don't make their sexuality an issue. Once they openly proclaim having sexual urges for the same sex as their fellow soldiers, it makes it impossible to segregate troops in manner that discourages sexual liasons. (Men and women are not currently housed together.) But gay activists are less concerned with the success of the military mission than they are the success of their political agenda. See Chick's SIN CITY.
The testimony from each of the service chiefs on Capitol Hill will be crucial to the debate in Congress on whether to repeal the 17-year-old law, which bans gays from serving openly in the military.
President Barack Obama says the policy unfairly punishes patriots who want to serve their country. Obama is looking for ways to "pay back" the gay lobby for money and support during the last election. He has ordered Defense Secretary Robert Gates to begin a yearlong study on how to mitigate the impact of lifting the ban.
Providing much-needed political cover is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, who has said he thinks the law unfairly forces gay troops to compromise their integrity by lying about who they are.
But lawmakers, who are divided on whether to end the ban, say they want to hear from the service chiefs. They are the ones who would be in charge of putting any changes in place and responding to any fallout. While some leaders in the military have seen the new political landscape and decided to support the change, it is no secret that the military overally is strongly against the change.
"The armed forces have always placed military effectiveness above individual needs," said Rep. Gene Taylor, a conservative Democrat from Mississippi who says he is unconvinced that the ban should be lifted.
"This is one of the core concepts that has made the U.S. military one of the most effective combat forces in history," he said.
Indeed, it was outside political interference that is credited with destroying moral and leading to defeat in Vietnam, when politicians tried to micro-manage the military during war forty years ago. At that time, Congress attempted to tell generals how to fight, including which half of the bridges they should bomb.
The current policy allows fit adult to serve as long as they don't make their sexuality an issue. Once they openly proclaim having sexual urges for the same sex as their fellow soldiers, it makes it impossible to segregate troops in manner that discourages sexual liasons. (Men and women are not currently housed together.) But gay activists are less concerned with the success of the military mission than they are the success of their political agenda. See Chick's SIN CITY.
posted by chickcomics | 7:57 AM
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