Don’t Ask Too Fast

Newsweek ^ | Jan 3, 2009 | Dan Ephron

[areukiddingme1]

On gays, Obama's Joint Chiefs chair is caught between his boss and a conservative military.

In the next year, Mullen might have to ask troops to do something many will find even more uncomfortable: welcome openly gay men and women into their ranks. Such was the promise made by President-elect Obama in the 2008 campaign—gay-rights groups will hold him to it.

[tomnbeverly]

If Gays can openly serve and live in our military then its time for CO-Ed living arrangements for the military...

Whats the difference?

Now try to pull that one off at Sea....

[basil]

YEah—but think of the laughs we’d have. Our civilian army dressed in tutu’s!

[roaddog727]

I thought it was; “never leave your buddy’s behind.” I could be wrong though.

THere’s that one also.

Here’s another one to contemplate: Bringing up the rear.....

[Alberta's Child]

Also gives new meaning to terms like “rear admiral,” “tail gunner,” etc.

[roaddog727]

Ping to Tailgunner Joe.....

Also gives new meaning to terms like “rear admiral,” “tail gunner,” etc.

[panthermom]

Anything to get elected.

[The_Repugnant_Conservative]

Many already do welcome gays who do the job well.

It’s also a convenient way to get rid of someone who is undesirable for other reasons.

[liberalism is suicide]

And beating the enemy to death with their pocketbooks!

[Centurion2000]

These PC asshats seem to overlook that in combat BLOOD and GUTS are spilled. In our world that's called a BIO-HAZARD. And whose going to risk getting infected with god knows what disease to drag an openly gay wounded soldier or Marine out of harms way and getting BLOOD and BODY PARTS on themselves?

Amen to that. Gay and wounded? Might as well have taken a headshot because no one's going to touch you in that golden hour.

[curiosity]

In the next year, Mullen might have to ask troops to do something many will find even more uncomfortable: welcome openly gay men and women into their ranks. Such was the promise made by President-elect Obama in the 2008 campaign—gay-rights groups will hold him to it.

I seriously doubt it. As the author of NRO's campaign spot has famously observed, all Obama promises cary an expiration date, which happens to fall on the day in which keeping the promise becomes politically disadvantageous.

Forcing the military to accept openly gay people is going to carry a huge political cost and provide him with virtually no political benefit. Gays are at most 2-3% of the population. He easily can afford to anger a them, especially since it's not like they're suddenly going to go out and vote Republican. Angering a much larger fraction of the civilian population that opposes gays in the military, not to mention the military brass with whom he will have to work, just to please a small fraction of the population whose votes he can take for granted, makes zero political sense.

Obama is going to quietly forget he made that promise, and if pressed on it, will simply say that making such sweeping changes during war time is not a good idea.

[Thunder90]

Obama will put gays in the military, and take away the tools (by cutting the funding) the military needs to combat current and evolving threats.