Harry Reid Pressures Obama, Gates on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

The Huffington Post's Ryan Grim reports that last week Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid sent letters to President Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates soliciting guidance on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell":

"In letters to Gates and Obama dated Sept. 24th and obtained by HuffPost, the Nevada Democrat asks each to 'bring to Congress your recommendations on DADT' -- the policy that allows gay or lesbian Americans to serve in the military as long as they don't mention that they are gay or lesbian. A legislative fix could be difficult; it is not at all clear that the Senate could find 60 votes to overcome a likely filibuster. Reid, therefore, is calling in Obama. 'As Congress considers future legislative action, we believe it would be helpful to hear your views on the policy,' he writes. 'Your leadership in this matter is greatly appreciated and needed at this time.' Reid, in the letters, also highlights the plight of two servicemen, one of whom he met when he was the keynote speaker at a recent Las Vegas Human Rights Campaign Gala Dinner. First Lieutenant Daniel Choi was a West Point grad, served in Iraq and was an Arab linguist. In April, he received a discharge letter from the Army after publicly revealing he was gay, Reid writes to Obama. Lieutenant Colonel Victor Fehrenbach is headed for a 'similar fate,' Reid tells Obama. He was an 18-year Air Force vet who has flown numerous missions against Taliban and al-Qaida targets, 'including the longest combat mission in his squadron's history.' The government, Reid notes, has invested $25 million on his training."

Pressure seems to be mounting on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' from all sides. Yesterday, the Boston Globe reported on an article in the upcoming issue of Joint Force Quarterly, the Pentagon's top scholarly journal, calling for the repeal of the ban.

The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) called the publication of the article, which won the 2009 Secretary of Defense National Security Essay competition, "a breakthrough development":

"Our translation: no more study of the issue is needed; it's been studied to death. Let's move out on the specifics of when and how to implement a new policy of nondiscrimination. President Obama and some members of Congress have been calling on the Department of Defense to provide its recommendations on repeal. Well, here's a roadmap."

Palm Monday: Toward a More Humane Don't Ask, Don't Tell

The Palm Center at the University of California, Santa Barbara, issued a legal memo Monday suggesting what Defense Secretary Robert Gates might do if he is seriously interested in "a more humane" approach to applying Don't Ask, Don't Tell that will end with "changing the policy."

Suggestions include that he order the retention of targeted members due to the country's security requirements and that he demand approval over any inquiries in the first place.

It's not a full repeal, but Time points out this sort of "tweak in other nations' prohibitions on gays in the military have opened the way to their repeal," citing Great Britain and Israel as examples.

Gates: Military Exploring 'More Humane' Approach to DADT

Defense Secretary Robert Gates today called the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy "very restrictive" and said the Pentagon is investigating "if there's a more humane way to apply [Don't Ask, Don't Tell] until it gets changed," AFP reports:

"The Pentagon boss said he discussed the issue last week with US President Barack Obama and that there also has been discussion among senior military and legal counsel about possible changes in how they apply the law, which he described as 'very restrictive.' The defense secretary said one possible modification might be consider the circumstances under which a service member is 'outed' in determining whether or not he or she must leave the military. Gates offered as an example 'when we're given information from someone with vengeance in mind or blackmail, somebody who has been jilted. 'If somebody is outed by a third party, does that force us to take action?' he said."

Added Gates: "We're talking about how do we move forward on this, achieve this objective which is changing the policy."

News: Amazing Race, Aaron Schock, DOMA, Twitter, Muffins, UVA

Pelosi to Bay Area Reporter: Repeal of DOMA not a top priority.

Jared Polis considering introducing omnibus LGBT rights bill in the House.

Zac Efron's nut-tingling leftovers.

The current Amazing Race, which has at least two additional contestants who are gay but not identified as such, closets contestants because producers want them to play to their types. Mel White: "After Luke 'found out that Mike and I were being billed as gay, he wanted to be billed as gay,' but a producer said—and this is Mel paraphrasing a conversation he had with an unnamed producer—‘No, we’re establishing you as what we want you to be established. He’s established as deaf. You’re established as gay, so don’t be interrupting what we're trying to do here.’”

Mel White talks to AfterElton...

Elton John to perform at Andy Roddick's wedding this weekend.

1,000,000: Ashton Kutcher beats CNN in weeklong Twitter war.

Defense Secretary Gates remains cautious on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal: “Everybody in this room knows that this is a complex and difficult problem. [Then he noted that President Harry S. Truman had signed an executive order integrating the armed services in 1948] and that it was five years before the process was completed. I’m not saying that’s a model for this, but I’m saying that I believe that this is something that needs to be done very, very carefully.’’

Eli Manning: I'm better looking than Peyton.

Sarah Palin's anti-gay attorney general nominee REJECTED.

Ohio teacher resigns after taking high school students to gay bar: "Lori Epperson submitted a letter of resignation Thursday. She also sent an email to her supervisor and the school principal in which she admits to taking four female students to a club called Masque."

Tony Perkins at the Family Research Council has the lie-spewing turned up full throttle.

Britney Spears stalked by former American Idol contesant peeping Tomasina.

Stephen Colbert talks to the Brody Jenner of Congress, Rep. Aaron Schock.

Gay muffin tops!

Long Island gay and lesbian groups to honor Harvey Milk this weekend: "Milk's nephew, Stuart Milk, will accept an award on Saturday from the Long Island Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Services Network. Milk grew up on Long Island and graduated from high school there in the late 1940s — keeping his sexuality a well-guarded secret."

UVA students hold a rally against anti-gay hate: "Several hundred people gathered at UVA’s amphitheater last night for the Stand Against Hatred. The vigil and public forum was in response to the April 4 attack on a UVA student that was apparently motivated by anti-gay bias."

Maryland to protect the homeless under hate crimes statute: "The groundbreaking measure, championed by one of the legislature's most conservative Republicans, was approved in the House of Delegates four minutes before the General Assembly adjourned at midnight Monday. O'Malley (D) is reviewing the bill, which also adds penalties for violent crimes against people targeted because of their gender or disability."

SLDN Criticizes Gates Remarks on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

Executive Director of Servicemen's Legal Defense Network (SLDN) Aubrey Sarvis criticized Defense Secretary Robert Gates for his remarks yesterday on FOX New Sunday with Chris Wallace. Gates' remarks, which I posted about over the weekend, indicated that repeal of the discriminatory law was not near the top of the list of the Obama administration's  priorities.

Said Sarvis: "Sec. Gates hardly gave a sound reason for kicking 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' down the road -- or essentially back tracking on a campaign promise made by his Commander in Chief. I trust the secretary was not speaking for President Obama, who, hopefully, will issue the call for repeal when he sends his Defense Department budget to Congress in a few weeks. This is about timely leadership. It's also called multitasking. Right now is the time -- while we're engaged in two wars -- we need the most qualified men and women serving. This is not the time to keep firing linguists and intelligence analysts because of their sexual orientation. The longer the president and Pentagon delay the issue, the fewer linguists and intelligence analysts the Pentagon will have to call on to fight terrorism in Pakistan and Afghanistan."

I've reposted the Robert Gates clip, AFTER THE JUMP...

Defense Secretary Gates: Military Gay Ban Repeal 'Down the Road'

On FOX News Sunday, Chris Wallace asked Defense Secretary Robert Gates about White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs' statement earlier this year that "yes," Obama planned to repeal the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.

Said Gates: "[DADT] continues to be the law, and any change in the policy would require a change in the law. We will follow the law whatever it is. That dialogue, though, has really not progressed very far at this point in the administration. I think the president and I feel like we've got a lot on our plates right now and let's push that one down the road a little bit."

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...