the don't tell show

Will Obama Certify DADT Repeal In Time To Let Gay Troops Serve Openly By Summer?

At yesterday’s silly House hearing on the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, where Republicans got a chance to shake their heads in disbelief in front of of the military’s top leaders, lawmakers were told the military could be ready to let openly gay troops begin serving by this summer. How come? Because even Marine chief Gen. James Amos noted there “hasn’t been the recalcitrant pushback” during repeal training. Amazing: American soldiers following orders in a professional manner. CAN U BELIEVEZIES?! It’s just a matter of wrapping up training our troops that dudes might be talking about their boyfriends, so don’t freak out. But isn’t forecasting repeal to begin this summer a bit of a tight timeline? After all, at last count just 200,000, or 9 percent of troops had received their DADT repeal training. Plus, the repeal bill Congress passed and President Obama signed puts full repeal into effect sixty days after Obama, Joint Chiefs head Mike Mullen, and Defense Sec. Robert Gates sign off on it. So if we’re going to fall within “summer,” which runs from June 21 – September 22 this year, training needs to be completed and Obama needs to sign off on it by July 22. Let’s move, people!

NB: The winningest quote from the hearings, however, goes to Mississippi’s freshman Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.), who believes he’s arriving after the Alamo and is unable to tend to the slaughtered: Men and women “thought was a good military, a correct military, and this Congress comes and tinkers with it. … I just apologize to our veterans. I have yet to find anybody that is in support of repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.”

[pictured: Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz (right) listens to a question during testimony before the House Armed Services Committee in Washington, D.C., on April 7, 2011. General Schwartz was joined by (left to right) Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Chiarelli, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead, and Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amo; via Air Force]

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