Even with strong public support and plunging military opposition, repeal of DADT may fall victim of dysfunctional DC politics

Politico reports that progressive are "growing increasingly worried over the lack of a detailed White House road map for passing a repeal" of Don't Ask, Don't Tell "and that without such a road map, repeal will end up in the same kind of Senate gridlock that hobbled health reform." 

This despite the fact that "on Monday, a Military Times poll often used to highlight the uniformed military’s resistance to repeal was updated, revealing a sharp drop-off in opposition to the repeal from 65 percent in 2004 to 51 percent now. A Quinnipiac University nationwide poll released Wednesday found that two-thirds of Americans think the policy is discriminatory."

Rational policy decisions, though, can't be expected from weak-kneed Democrats, a recalcitrant Pentagon, or Republicans reluctant to abandon a reliable wedge issue.  As Politico puts it, "memories are long on Capitol Hill, and Democrats remain skittish about provoking a culture war, even if the issue could motivate their own depressed liberal base. For his part, [defense secretary Robert] Gates, who has expressed concern about how the repeal would affect frontline troops, has called for a go-slow approach, including a review of the impact a switch would have on units in the field."

Despite Obama's pledge to repeal the policy, it remains unclear how truly committed he is to anything more than rhetoric.  A White House spokesman tells Politico, “The timing of when Congress acts is up to Congress.”

-SS