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I’m sure that Kerry has thought of dozens of ways to ask WH Press Secretary Robert Gibbs questions that he cannot weasel out of (which usually results in “I don’t know, I’ll get back to you with an answer” — that means it goes into the black hole). Today she tried again, this time to find out what the status of the review of DADT repeal given the President just said he’s sending 30K troops into Afghanistan when our forces are depleted — and gays and lesbians continue to be discharged.
The Advocate: Some people have analyzed the number of troops available to deploy and said that sending 30,000 troops is tantamount to deploying nearly every U.S. Army brigade possible. Given that about 10,000 soldiers are already in stop-loss, do you know where Defense secretary Gates is with his review of softening the discharges on “don’t ask, don’t tell”?
Robert Gibbs: Well, I have not heard an update from the secretary on that. I know that obviously the president wants that policy changed. In terms of – I mean, obviously it’s not just Army. This is Army and Marines, as well as – well, Army and Marines. They are – this was very specifically asked in terms of whether force flow options would interrupt either Marine or Army policies that have been instituted to give longer breaks for tours of duty and then return home. The Joint Chiefs, to a commander, all told the commander in chief that they could meet the force requirement without interrupting what they had instituted in order to provide that time at home and away from the tour of duty.
The Advocate: But the troops are stretched thin. I mean, it’s not -
Gibbs: No doubt. And I think that the president was very clear in wanting to see the Joint Chiefs to, quite frankly, ask them very directly whether that was the case. There’s no doubt that there has been for many, many years a strain on our forces, that that strain has caused repeated tours. And only recently has Secretary Gates and others instituted policies that ensure that we had time outside of a theater of war and that they believe was necessary to maintain an all-volunteer force, which they think obviously is tremendously important, as well as just dealing with the stress physically and mentally on them.
11 Comments
So basically . . . . . . straining our forces is not a new problem, so why fix it by repealing DADT? Superior logic!
Gibbs well say anything to avoid talking about LGBT issues – he makes a mockery out of his job.
Oh wait, my badCHANGE Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Gotta get that right!
great moments in WH pressers, and you are thereHe’s beginning to sound like Ron Ziegler, if anybody remembers him — or maybe a bit like the Major-General’s aria in “Pinafore”. Fascinating, how he babbles something filled with empty words and completely off-topic.
Hogwash, I want to know what the CIC is going to do for the families….… of all the gay soldiers he is sending over to be as risk of death. Including the ones already in theater, I know myself of at least 4 families including children.What about them if their military member is killed, will they get the death benefits they are due????He must sign a full STOP LOSS until our troops are out of harms way.
And I keep wonderingWhen is talk of a draft going to come up? I know it’s going to happen since our military is stretched mighty thin, right down to National Guard troops.
I hope nothing bad happens here in the U.S. because you won’t have any guard troops to keep order.
of course notNo talk of increased recruitment, or conscription, or a single War Bond. NewsHour made the point tonight that even a 5c gas surtax, with a picture of a Marine or soldier on the gas pump, is not in the offing. And, yes, the Guard is not only overstretched, but most of its equipment is overseas getting ground up in desert operations.
Bush policies continued, apparently. Same old same old.
WARNING: Do Not Hold Your Breath!
Our politicians learned little from the Vietnam War but one thing that is deposited deep in their DNA is that restoring the draft would restore their vulnerability to grassroots veto of their war games.
For at the core of the massive antiwar demonstrations in the late 60s, early 70s, was self-interest, specifically the fear of being sent to Vietnam and killed in a war that made no sense to them, or having someone you loved being sent there.
With the announcement that the draft would end, the bottom fell out of protests, but, fortunately, the momentum they had generated had already guaranteed we would pull out of Vietnam [tho bombing of Laos and Cambodia would continue].
Technically, it’s still on the books such that American males are legally obligated to register when they turn 18 [read give them a way to find you if they ever do need involuntary cannon fodder again].
And I’ve given up on hoping that the families of men and women whose tours are extended again and again will protest in sufficient numbers to stop it. It appears whatever untraceable tranquilizer the Bushies put in the nation’s water supply has yet to evaporate. [Only slightly kidding.]
its the same old illogical bsHe cant say what needs to be said because then it would be said and he cant say that.
I know too many people now who are going. Young adults who are transgender and are in the active duty military now staring at stop-loss.
Over the last 4 years I’ve seen on average 2 people per year.
Today my numbers of young adults who are transgender and are active duty military that I give support too is 15. My major advice to them right now is as it always is, start getting out now. Don’t wait for an end for DADT because it is not coming and even if it does come that bus is not for our kind.
WaitingThey are basically waiting until the next defense bill renewal, just like Hate Crimes. The thing is, if done just before the 2010 elections the issue will be radioactive. If done later, Republicans could have won seats. Now is as good a time as we will get.
I think at this point it is clear…… we no longer have civilian control over our own military. The christofacists have control over it in preparation for their mass suicide fantasies.
If O can’t make them follow orders we should be setting up amnesty in safe countries because they obviously have taken over.
While I agree with you…
that they should be addressing it now….well, actually, he should have issued an executive order and rammed through the repeal bill in February or March when he still had all that political capital……
I am simply not buying the spin of those who say, “trust us, we’ll finally get off our asses with the 2011 defense authorization bill” both because they’ve proven our trust is undeserved and, two, as you point out, that would be coming to a vote less than a month before midterm elections. Besides, White House operatives already stopped Alcee Hastings’ attempt to remove funding for discharge investigations in the 2010 defense budget bill.
HOWEVER, my greatest anger is that then…or now….or last spring…all that would be required to make it work is LEADERSHIP…exactly what OBAMA HIMSELF declared two years ago last month and then tucked tail and ran from the moment he faced a homohater in uniform with lots of brass lettuce on his chest!
With 70+ percent of the public already supporting lifting the ban….more than virtually any of his other programs…he would be able to/could have slap[ed] witless any opposition with one well-written, well-delivered speech tying it to national security…which, AGAIN, he, HIMSELF, has already publicly acknowledged is “weakened” by such discharges.
He could easily take the offense and turn the tables on the few rednecks who would object. Why isn’t/hasn’t he? My guess is the same reason that Vietnam War Pentagon Papers hero Daniel Ellsberg says he’s going against his own instincts about Afghanistan: he’s afraid of a public military revolt before midterms.