Republicans have developed their refrain for opposing the repeal plan for the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban on gays serving openly in the military: the Pentagon opposes it too! The Democrats are counting on picking up a handful of moderate votes — including Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) to get the measure through committee on the Senate side and they don’t need Republican votes on the House side. (Good thing, too, since a Republican aide told me they won’t be getting any.) But the rest of the Republicans are sounding eerily similar warnings about the plan being too fast, too soon.
The compromise was delayed implementation, allowing the law to be changed will allowing the Defense Department press forward with a study of its effects. Republicans say nothing should change until the study is done — likely in December.
A Senate leadership aide said Republicans want to hear the results of the Pentagon’s review of the changes to current policy “before voting on them.” And a top national Republican consultant told me the party’s talking point will be to wait. “Why conduct a study if we’re not going to analyze it before making a decision?” the consultant said.
Several GOPers I’ve spoken to in recent days say that’s going to be the party line as the Democrats attempt to pass the change as an amendment to a defense spending bill. But does the Pentagon actually oppose it?
When Sen. Lindsey Graham issued his opposition statement this week he called it a “so-called compromise” which “would repeal the legislation first then receive input from the military.” Some conservative Democrats have sounded the same rationale.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen said Wednesday at a town hall in Colorado he is comfortable with the proposal on Capitol Hill because it gives military leaders the final say on implementation, according to a story written by the American Forces Press Service and distributed by Hill aides. “The language in there right now preserves my prerogative – and I believe, my responsibility – to give the best military advice,” Mullen said, the press service reported.
More from the press service story:
Mullen said he’s particularly interested in determining how the law’s repeal would affect “readiness, unit cohesion and our ability to do our mission.” That, he said, requires input from the people directly affected.
“That was what was behind making sure we surveyed our people and our families — to understand … the potential impact,” he told the group. “And I, as a senior military leader in the country, feel obligated to make sure I understand that, so should it change, I can lead that and understand what the impacts are.”
Collins, a moderate who has sided with Democrats on several key issues, has said she will support the measure because it was crafted by her friend and sometimes political ally Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT). She may be the lone Republican supporter today on the committee. But given the policy change will be attached to the defense spending measure as an amendment, the Democrats don’t need to do much cajoling to see it through.
A Senate leadership aide told me if the amendment passes committee, the Republicans would need 60 votes to strip it from the spending bill. And they probably don’t even have 50, the aide said.
