I am frankly over those who continue to make excuses for the Liar-in-Chief's mishandling of DADT repeal and attack anyone who demands that Obama be held accountable for the ongoing fiasco which could well see DADT repeal fail inasmuch as it was left to the winding down days of the Lame Duck Congress. I've even been accused in comments on The Bilerico Project of slamming for fundraising purposes. I'm not involved in any kind of political fundraising and the charge is utterly ludicrous, but it's symptomatic of the apologists who continue to kiss Obama's ass and endeavor to give the man political cover. Now, a Washington Post story throws the hair brained timing of the repeal effort squarely at Obama's feet and it will be interesting to see who the apologist try to spin these facts. I remain convinced that Obama has NEVER been serious about DADT repeal other than as a tool to shake money and votes out of the LGBT community. Here are highlights from the Post story:*
[W]hen Gates and Mullen met with Obama after his inauguration, a senior administration official said the president told them: "I don't believe in 'don't ask, don't tell' and I want it repealed. . . . We're going to do it together."
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The three men decided 2010 would be the year, partly because they knew building a winning case would take time. Polling shows about six in 10 Americans support overturning the ban, but to sway skeptical lawmakers, proponents would need statistically sound evidence to alleviate concerns that allowing gays to serve openly would interfere with combat readiness
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Gates and Mullen testified in support, and in March, they ordered a comprehensive study of the impact to the armed services. Defense Department General Counsel Jeh C. Johnson and Army Gen. Carter F. Ham, who did not know each other but would soon bond over sweet potato pie, led the review. They held so many town hall gatherings and meetings that they came face-to-face with more than 23,000 troops and their families. The study cost about $9 million and resulted in a 362-page report, released Nov. 30 - 17 years to the day after President Clinton signed "don't ask, don't tell" into law.
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Some lawmakers were critical of the administration's timetable, saying the White House was too cautious in tackling an issue that had roiled the Clinton White House.
"This is one of those times where you sit and say, wait a moment, can't you even see the nation has moved forward?" said retiring Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.), a former vice admiral of the Navy. "When you have leaders lagging those they are supposed to be leading, you lose credibility."
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December arrived with momentum on their side. On Thursday, after the report's release, Gates and Mullen faced the Senate Armed Services Committee again. Mullen, in his dress uniform, delivered a personal appeal to the panel's doubters, including the most celebrated veteran in American politics, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).
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While gay advocacy organizations and a broad network of policy groups have united behind repeal, conservative efforts to oppose lifting the ban have largely centered on a single activist, Elaine Donnelly. . . . Donnelly and a veteran Republican operative she hired, Tommy Sears, orchestrated the right's opposition. She distributed exhaustive memos to Pentagon officials, lawmakers and reporters detailing her legal arguments against repeal, chiefly that there is no constitutional right to serve in the military and thus gays should adhere to the existing policy.
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The question now is whether there's enough time left to do anything about it. "The one problem we've got here is the schedule," Levin said. "We have very little time left."
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As with health care reform, Obama has been a case study of too little, too late and lack of leadership. If DADT repeal fails because "time runs out" - something I pray doesn't happen - I for one will hold Obama personally responsible because of the utterly stupid timing that HE chose. Yes, other sycophants will rally and kiss his ass yet again, but the fault lies with the White House and nay sayers like Rahm Emanuel who, thank God, is no longer part of the White House staff.
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