We’ve chronicled how Gen. Colin Powell’s stance on Don’t Ask Don’t Tell evolved in 2008, 2009, and in 2010. His latest remarks about the policy, issued via statement in February, pushed the needle thisclose to the point of fully supporting the law. Today, he took an even deeper plunge. But don’t think he’s coming out in support of lawmaker’s bold move last week
Watching Powell’s careful word choice about DADT has been an exercise in taking the temperature of both the American public in military leaders; his public positions on the policy always seemed to find the middle ground. In his February remarks, Powell stated: “In the almost 17 years since the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ legislation was passed, attitudes and circumstances have changed. I fully support the new approach presented to the Senate Armed Services Committee this week by Secretary of Defense Gates and Admiral Mullen.”
See how that almost got him to fully supporting a repeal? Because Gates and Mullen’s approach wasn’t an actual repeal, but a review of a repeal, Powell inserted his opinions into the ether of near-certainty without going all the way. And don’t expect him to ever truly disagree with current military leadership. Ain’t gonna happen.
And it didn’t. On ABC’s This Week today, Powell said that while “it is perfectly acceptable to get rid of the law and the policy,” there’s a big but: “[B]efore we actually do it, we have to hear clearly from the officers and men and women who are in charge of executing that policy. … I think it’s important to listen to the troops who are affected and take into account the views of the senior leadership and military leadership of the armed forces.”
How about we take this to the next level?
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Which closely echoes the remarks made today by Adm. Mullen: “Ideally, I would certainly have preferred that legislation not be brought forward in terms of the change until we are completed with that review,” a nod to the House voting in favor of a compromised DADT repeal attached to the Pentagon’s budget. “It is really critical to understand the points of view of those it will affect the most as we look at the implementation challenges, should the law change. So we will complete that review and certainly incorporate what we learned from that into implementation when that time comes.”
[ABC]
edgyguy1426
This asshat should be asked if the soldiers and their families should have been polled before the armed services were integrated. Jerk.
Jason_Activist
Step up the protests. These fools still don’t get it – the MILITARY doesn’t make the LAWS.
Hit the streets and DEMAND that the law be repealed instead of this bull shit.
Give your uniform back Colin Powell. Thank God you never ran for President.
Dan Choi is a real war hero. Now, he’s even starving for us. What are you willing to do?
rainfish2000
Gen. Powell stupidly writes: “…I think it’s important to listen to the troops who are affected and take into account the views of the senior leadership and military leadership (read: homophobes) of the armed forces.”
Hmmmm…it should seem pretty obvious to anyone with two brain cells left to rub together that the only “troops who are (actually) affected” are the ones who (actually)suffer discrimination.
The irony of his “concern” for the “troops who are affected” are that the actual “troops who are affected” cannot speak out (except through an anonymous survey for fear of being “affected” – read: fired)) in regards to how they are “affected”, while everybody else who does not suffer under this dishonorable and disreputable policy is allowed to speak freely and to re-shape the so-call “compromise”.
“Compromising” on equal rights is like “compromising” on allowing child molestation or giving due consideration to someone else’s “right” to rape your grandmother — you don’t.
They once had a “compromise” on equal rights in South Africa, they were called “Homelands and Townships” (i.e reservations). How did that work out?
This fool, Gen. Powell, is a disgrace to the human race.
Evan
Is he a politician or a windsock?
Pip
wait, how does don’t ask don’t tell apply to straight soldiers? last time I heard, dudes didn’t get kicked out of the military for screaming “AH LUV PUSSAISS!!!!”
Jason_Activist
Don’t eat, don’t drink – for equality.
reason
Powell is a company man, and in public will tow the company line which is clear from reviewing his tenure as a soldier and public servant. This is a guy who navigated his way to the top, Chairman of the Joint Cheifs of Staff, starting his carier at a time when it wasn’t pleasant to be in African American in the U.S. Army or let alone America. He navigated the treacharous water by not rocking the boat, pushing the needle forward at the opportune time, being an adroit negotiator and a conscientious consensus builder, and geting the job done no matter what it was well. An avid negotiator does not show his cards until he is playing the winning hand. I am sure Powell is advising Mullen on how to get this done with minimal blow back from the force he is leading, and without derailing the whole thing. He is probably in touch with the officers that want to stop DADT repeal in its tracks trying to qwell their fears and guide them like a seeing eye dog into the inevitable future. Sausage making is an ugly job, but this guy has always been up to the challenge evrn when he has got it wrong.
Jason_Activist
@reason: What will YOU do? We don’t need to know about Powell’s history, we need to know if you are willing to make demands?
Dan Choi, our Demander-In-Chief is taking action. He is (once again) risking his life for you and others that just want to talk.
We must all be demanders or go on some sort of hunger strike or sit-in (the-way) or march until people respect us.
Demand your way to equality. Loud and louder. Demand the enemy into submission. Rise up and do something.
jeffree
Powell just channells other peoples opinions. Someone tells him what to say, and he does. Remember the speech at the UN where he told lies about reasons to invade Iraq? Same deal here.
@Jason_Activist: Question s for you about your hunger strike:
1) Is Get Equal aware of your hunger strike? Clue: no they are not
2) Is “Justin_Activist” participating as well?
3) Are you being medically monitored? Any of us who has been trained in activism would know how stupidly risky it is to do this alone
4) Why arent you getting any press coverage? You’ve been posting on dozens of websites but not one of them has seen fit to pick up on your “story.”
AndrêwW would call it a pointless stunt
Jason_Activist
@jeffree: GetEqual is in charge of all demanding and that’s where I get my instructions. They said we would get press when the health of protesters was in jeopardy. i don’t think that will be more than a few weeks.
If you watch the Dan Choi video on youtube you will see that he is already suffering. This will lead to an outpouring of support from the media. They may wait until he is hospitalized, but it is going to work.
I’m not on a hunger strike, but I am only having fluids. If we lose Dan Choi I will go on a complete hunger strike because I will be very sad.
Wtf are you doing? Stop dissing my efforts and find something useful to do. It’s easy to customize me and my friends. You shouldn’t call your self an “activist,” not a smart one anyways.
jeffree
Powell, I should have said earlier , seems to go back and forth on the DADT issue. Just when you think he’s turned a corner, you realize he’s right back to where he started.
The one thing we know is that someone else is pulling the strings when his mouth moves
@Jason_Activist: Dan Choi is making a point by his hunger strike, whether or not someone agrees with the tactic. He gets and will get some press. He has some celebrity status & credibility due to his military service. Whether it will result in progress on DADT repeal only time can
tell.
As for you and Justin_Activist, despite 30 something posts by you on over 7 blogs, the fact is that Get Equal is unaware of your efforts, apparently. Your medically unsupervised liquid diet is risky & pointless: no one benefits by your supposed act of sympathy. But it is a nice distraction from yr & /AndrewW & company’s usual whining about HRC & Get Equal and yelling about WINNING
And no, I do not “customize” you and your co-activists. Interesting slip of the tongue.
Jason_Activist
@jeffree: Yeah, your a do-nothing. That much is clear. GetEqual is leading the charge and all you can do is call Powell a puppet. well, your a puppet, too.
Lanjier
What kinds on inane things are the straight soldiers supposed to say? What are all the wise and wonderful input they are supposed to give regarding their weird feelings? They have to be TOLD and ORDERED to GET OVER IT. They have to be given good training on the correct way to handle a gay fellow soldier, not asked. You don’t ask soldiers how they feel. This is life or death training, and they have to work closely with everyone.
“How did it make you feel when I ordered you just now to make sure you clean you gun, and if you didn’t I would make you eat shit? I want your input on your feelings.” Fuck that.
No, fellow soldiers are weapons, too. You treat everything you do with respect, or get killed. THAT is the training they need.
Cam
How lucky for Powell that the wishes of the troops were not given final stopping power when Truman desegregated the military. Or the citizens of the state of VA’s wishes when the Loving v. Va. case legalizes interactial marriages like his. But then again, why should he worry about anybody elses’s rights since he has his?
Rob Moore
It amazes me that anyone gay or straight, male or female, fascist or Democrat would listen to anything this proven liar says. He is shameless. Remember how he resisted the Iraq war but when Bush ordered it, he even went to the U.N. and lied about the evidence. He dared to try using some of the same presentation techniques of Adlai Stevenson during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The difference was Stevenson was presenting irrefutable evidence and facts unlike Powell who lied because his commander-in-chief wanted him too.
As Cam (14) pointed out, Powell has his rights not to mention his pensions and income from speaking events. He doesn’t give a shit about gay’s having equal rights. In his heart, I think he would be happy if we all died at once. He has no honor.
jeffree
@Cam: You got that right, as you always do! Powell may not have had the career he did in the military if the decision to integrate Black Americans into the armed forces had been put to the troops on the ground earlier on.
Where Powell seems to be *silent* is on how so many other countries have been able to integrate their LGB troops without much turmoil — and how those same countries’ service members have served side by side (without reported incident) with US troops in the Middle East, Europe & eslewhere.
Without giving specifics here, I will say that the direct reports [ :-D] I have heard from one gay Israeli & one swedish soldier show that they don’t face harassment from their fellow service members. [I never kiss & tell……..]
@Rob Moore: Gee, I wish I wouldve thought about Powell’s lie at the UN before I made my post! (he did eventually apologise, kinda).
But you’re right, Powell seems more concerned about his own record than his long term legacy in fostering equality in the Armed Forces. Sad, aint it….