The incoming
Obama administration may wait until 2010 to move on
"don't ask, don't tell," if at all. Given the challenges
facing the country, from the economic crisis to
winding down the war in Iraq, experts on the matter
say it's unlikely the new president will act right
away to reverse the ban on military service by openly
gay soldiers, The Washington Times reports.
"What's the
reality for the new administration?" Aubrey Sarvis,
head of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, told the
Times. "Financial crisis. Economic upheaval.
Health care reform. Environmental challenges. Where does
'don't ask, don't tell' fall in all this? I would say
it is not in the top five priorities of national
issues."
Sarvis, whose
group's mission is to end "don't ask, don't tell,"
told the paper he's had "informal discussions" with the
Obama transition team about a timetable for achieving
the goal and says 2010 is a reasonable estimate. "I
think 2009 is about foundation building and reaching
consensus," Sarvis said.
Obama is on
record as supporting the repeal of "don't ask, don't
tell," but it's widely believed he's not going to spend any
political capital there immediately, hoping to avoid
the situation President Bill Clinton found himself in
in early 1993. (The Advocate)