Posted on 12/08/2010 9:12:04 PM PST by Red Steel
Democrats are frantically finalizing the details of their capitulation on the "temporary" extension of low tax rates for the super-wealthy, in part so that they can just move on from the depressing tax issue and maybe get some votes on other stuff taken care of before Rand Paul shows up next month with his snake flag and his MESSAGE FROM THE TEA PARTIES. One of the things Democrats would like to vote on is the Defense Authorization bill, which includes the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell." It is looking less and less likely that they'll get it done. Unless Joe Liberman, of all people, saves the day.
As I explained last week, all signs point to Republicans successfully running out the clock on this legislative session without any action on anything besides tax cuts. Robert Gates must be a War Room reader, because he predicted doom for "don't ask, don't tell" repeal on an aircraft carrier, today.
“I’d have to say I’m not particularly optimistic that they’re going to get this done, I would hope that they would,” he said during a town hall style meeting with sailors in one of the ship’s massive hangars.
The brilliant thing about the run-out-the-clock strategy is that you don't even have to bother to come up with a reason to oppose changing a deeply unpopular policy! So while John McCain gets a lot of justified heat for his craven reversals, everyone else can quietly have no position whatsoever beyond "we have other things to take care of first" or "let's not rush anything."
Obviously the idea that the Senate "needs" two weeks to debate the authorization bill and "don't ask, don't tell" is nonsense, as Brian Beutler explains here. Defense authorizations bills usually require a couple days debate at most, and this one's been around since September, so hopefully everyone has read it.
Joe Lieberman, using his powers of unbelievable self-satisfaction for good on this particular issue, wants to keep the Senate in session through Christmas in order to get this taken care of, and he is enough of a pain in the ass to maybe make that happen. That's the best chance we have at seeing "don't ask, don't tell" end legislatively any time soon, but the process will still involve days of debate and dozens of "controversial" amendments (no public funds for Islamofascist abortion pills etc. etc.) and could still come down to whether or not Susan Collins falls in line with her party or actually votes her supposed "conscience," and we all know how that joke turns out.
SECDEF Gates: “I’d have to say I’m not particularly optimistic that they’re going to get this done, I would hope that they would,” he said during a town hall style meeting with sailors in one of the ship’s massive hangars.
The Republicans should stop everything DADT Repeal, Dream Act, Start Treaty until the 2011 Tax, Budget, and Jobs issues are resolved.
If they can’t be resolved by then too bad. The new Congress gets to decide.
Hey, I think they really SHOULD repeal DADT.
And go back to giving undesirable discharges to gays.
Shut up, until you spend weeks with troops in the making do you get a call.
Gay folks in the bath is no different than hetero in the bath right........Idiot
An apology is given. You may post it.
Heh, the old read the first sentence and not the next, eh? Apology accepted, no problem!
How about on the dance floor. . .
Keep in mind that Rand Paul's daddy, Ron Paul, was 1 of 5 Republicans in the House to vote to repeal DADT (Ron Paul really isn't sure if homosexuality is a sin).
Let's hope Rand isn't wrung out of the same Libertarian sock as his daddy is.
How bout a patch for Foxhole Decorator 1st class.
Shouldn’t that shield be brown?
Pretty scarey when the wellbeing of our military rests on the likes of Joe Lieberman and Susan Collins.
Robert Gates might as well resign, put on his knee pads and start following Obama around.
Lieberman reminded the Republican Convention-while he was still registered as a Democrat and it was more than just a civil union— Lieberman reminded us of Toynbee. Now he is no
longer calling himself a Democrat— but still acting like one
(hence the civil union tag) either he LIED to the Republublicans about Toynbee and was just making nice ( diplomatic talk) Or he does not believe what Toynbee wrote
applies. If the latter is true it would seem he has rejected Torah law as well.for a Jew to forget the example of Sodom— Oy vay.
Discharge them with INFAMY as Washingotn ordered the Army do to Lieutt. Enslin of Colo.Malcoms Regiment for being found guilty as charged of attempted sodomy—and perjury ,swearing of false accounts during inquiry.The Military discharged more women for being Pregnant between 1994-2005 Than it did service members who violated the law prohibiting gays in the military.I challenge these women were probably as capable of
doing their job as the reprobates but Congress worries about the queers because the jackass Democrats have elevated immorality to protected class status.
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