According to a New York Times article (found here), the Obama administration faces a dilemma regarding how to deal with the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy (DADT). The law, which was passed in 1993, requires that gays in the military not be open about their sexuality. Obama has long been opposed to this policy, but has yet to attempt to induce Congress to take substantive action against it. In 2009, he said, he did not want to divert national attention from his healthcare initiative by addressing another highly controversial issue. However, Obama claimed to make the repeal of DADT a priority in the new year. But with 2010 well underway, the fate of Obamacare unknown, and the country still involved in multiple wars, the president appears to be hesitating.
Such hesitation is reminiscent of one of Obama’s appearances in a pre-election presidential debate, during which he was asked about his opinion on gay marriage. Although he tried to associate himself with a pro-gay rights position, he refused to offer a clear, decisive answer. An analogous happening seems to be occurring now in the policymaking arena: Although in principle Obama is rigidly opposed to DADT and although a September military journal article called it a failure, the already long delay on the repeal coupled with military pressure to postpone it until the country’s armed forces are in a more stable position cast a shadow of doubt over Obama’s campaign promise to end DADT. Even so, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates maintains that it is only a matter of time before the policy is nullified.
Undoubtedly, Obama’s ultimate treatment of DADT will significantly affect his relationship to his gay rights activist base, who are hopeful for Tuesday’s Congressional hearing on the issue, during which plans for a repeal will supposedly be released, but who were angered by the president’s seeming initial reluctance to deliver on his campaign-time gay rights rhetoric. Whatever the result of Tuesday’s hearing, it appears, it will have a great impact on how Obama is viewed by a key demographic of his constituency.
