Robert Gibbs Asked About Danger of Don't Ask/Don't Tell Again

At today's White House Press Briefing, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was asked, again, about the threat posed by discharging otherwise qualified soldiers simply because they are gay:(video here, at 43:10 mark)

Ana Marie Cox: This isn't about Gitmo, but is about national security. Recently, three officers, West Point graduate Lieutenant Dan Choi, Air Force pilot Lieutenant Colonel Victor Fehrenback, and Army Second Lieutenant Sandy Tsao were all dismissed under "don't ask, don't tell." And is their dismissal a part of his national security strategy, or is their dismissal itself a threat to national security?

MR. GIBBS: No. As I've said I think when I was asked about these individuals -- I think it may have been last week -- I said that the President agreed that, and said during the campaign, and agreed with former members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that the policy wasn't working for our national interests, that he committed to change that policy, that he's working with the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs on making that happen, and that the only durable way to do that is to go through Congress and that's what the President intends to do.

I asked Gibbs a similar question on Friday, and while The Daily Beast's Ana Marie Cox got pretty much the same answer, the fact that DADT has come up twice, now, as a threat to national security brings the issue that much closer to critical mass.

This framing is crucial, because the primary rationale behind Don't ask/Don't tell is a false notion that the gay soldiers themselves pose a risk.

It is tough to argue that the absence of an arabic-speaking linguist doesn't pose a grave risk to our troops, and our security at home. The notion that our country's fighting men can armor their own vehicles, but can't think of a workaround for showering, is ludicrous and insulting.

Here's hoping that this question continues to get asked, until the answer fits the facts on the ground.

Tommy on: Daily Dose:

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• Obama's attempt to block photo release: Good idea, bad idea?
• Inside The White House Press Briefing Room
• I Have Only One Question: Is This Canon?