Pelosi's DADT Intentions "Encouraging"

JACK Truman supported integration of the military for political reasons not moral ones. He appointed a commission which made many proposals for accelerated process which he rejected. Truman allowed the military to control the process which included quotas, separate baracks and soldier surveys. The Democratic National Committee opposed integration. It took 8 years for the military to be integrated and even then not fully so. I am sure that: Blacks would have liked Lincoln to free them during his first year in office; women would have liked Wilson to use his bully pulpit to support suffrage at any point in his administration and labor would have liked FDR to advocate for unions during his early years in office. I know that we peace activists wish that JFK never expanded the War in Vietnam and did more to help Blacks during his first few years in office. But they did not and that did not make Lincoln a racist, Wilson a sexist, FDR a fascist or JFK a militarist.

The only way the repeal will have enough votes to pass in the Senate is to be attached to the defense budget which they are voting on now! Why continue to waste more of our tax dollars funding the unconstitutional DADT? Obama needs to push the senators on this as he did with his stimulus package, health insurance bill, Wall St. reform bill, and jobs bill. The majority of people polled are for repeal. DADT weakens the military. Why can't they attach repeal to the military budget they are voting on now?!

@ Jack - I think you are being hard on the Solicitor General's office. Their job is to list all the arguments and case history that can be pulled in to justify a current law. Even a bad and unjust law can link itself to other immoral decisions and dirty case law from the past. The court needs to hear all the arguments before it decides that the principle of equal protection under the law overrides other Byzantine and obscure precedents. @ Mike/Michael - I agree that gays need to tone down. Screaming at Obama doesn't help the cause. As Barney Frank put it, who's mind does that change? There are other ways to (patiently but effectively) advocate for change. @ Thomas - You are wrong about the house. The November election will be shaped by gaffes, new cycles, and unforeseen events that have not even happened yet. Don't waste your time with crystal balls - there is no way to predict the outcome this early.

Jack, regarding your second rant, I welcome gays complaining about not having equal rights. What I find offensive is that they will not give this president ANY credit for what he has done. In your response, you acknowledged that Obama got things implemented that no one else did - you did not like their reach. Further, I have no intention of holding my hands over my ears I happen to live in one of the gayest areas in this country and I guarantee you that this very large gay population is extremely supportive of Obama. No one is asking you to SIT down or SHUT UP, please stop your feigned indignation. You should be Standing up and yelling at the republicans that have made it clear they intend of turning back the measures already implemented. Again, you have your right to your opinion and I respect that. However, again, please tell me what president in US history has done more than Obama in only 15 months????? If he is so bad, that answer should be easy for you.

Jack complain all you want, however, as I asked you before, What administration has done more for gay rights than Obama's. The answer is none. And, no, I am a not a 'staffer', I am a contributor. Talk about misrepresentation, yes the Hate crime bill was passed while Bush was president. He refused to sign it. The Insurance reform bill, is disappointing that it does not include a public option. He was the first president in 100 years that got reform passed. I am fully confident it will be improved upon. Regarding visitation, it was a memo to direct HHS to come up with an executive order for him to sign. You are incorrect about enforcement, if a hospital does not implement the soon to come order, they will lose Medicare and Medicade payments. President Truman was able to sign an executive order because the ban on blacks serving in the military was not passed through congress, it was a military rule which Truman could reverse. DADT was passed and must be repealed by congress.

And Mike, if you are "sick of hearing gays" complain about not having equal rights, then I suggest you hold your hands over your ears and never leave your house. Because we are NOT going to Sit Down and Shut Up.

It's nice to see the Obama apologists (staffers?) participating, even if they are misrepresenting what little this administration has done, and doing as well as any talking-head on FOX. The hate crimes bill - is that the same bill the House passed under the Bush administration and that several States are now being allowed to opt out of? HCR - do you mean the HCR bill that dropped the LGBT provisions along with the public option? Memo (NOT executive order) to hospitals - have you even read it?? All it does is ASK hospitals to please follow EXISTING rules and regulations; read the next-to-last sentence to see what happens to hospitals that do not (hint: nothing). FYI, an Executive Order is what Truman used to end Segregation in the Military, and what Obama has the authority to use to end DADT. Oh, and if you think I am ever going to forget the DOMA and DADT court briefs, you are sadly mistaken.

I agree with Michael. I'm sick of hearing gays criticize Obama... some claiming the hospital visitation rights as being a "bread crumb" (it's far more than a "bread crumb"). Tell me, would we have that "bread crumb" if McCain had won? Do I wish things were faster? Of course I do. But at least things are moving forward.

@Michael: You're preaching to the choir. :)

@Thomas: Did you read the article? She talked about having the vote THIS year. The next congress will not be seated until January 2011, next year. The prospect of the republicans taking over congress should be a call to action, not a cause to blame the first president that wants to overturn DADT. ......you also wrote "But you're right... we should sit tight and hope for the best. Obama has our best interests at heart and we should just STFU. He knows what is best for us. Really he does.".....Please tell me where I said that. I didn't say we have to sit tight and STFU. Have you been watching the news? It is Obama that has asked congress to repeal this law and started that process. It's not like he has remained silent, he is acting upon this. I don't care if one likes Obama or not, however, give the man credit, he is the first and only president that is actually wo0rking for us. It may not be as fast as we like, however, to deny that he is not working for us is just false.