Comments on: New Poll Shows Senior Military Officers Support DADT

By: Commentary » Blog Archive » Obama Should Tell, Not Ask

Commentary » Blog Archive » Obama Should Tell, Not Ask — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 18:20:17 +0000

[...] poll conducted earlier this year found that only 22% of senior officers are in favor of getting rid of [...]

By: HCN

HCN — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 00:19:43 +0000

I think everyone is reading the results, or the question of the poll incorrectly.Â The question relates to proposals to "fill the ranks".Â It just seems to me that those proposals that scored more than allowing gays and lesbians would affect or have a greater increase in "filling the ranks" than getting rid of DADT and therefore be more appealing for the question at hand.Â Â

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 20:05:30 +0000

John, thanks for sharing this and your thoughts on it.Â I was goiong to blog on it myself when I saw the report yesterday but haven’t had time to put something well-expressed together.Â You captured my thoughts exactly.

Very interesting results, and I do agree with you for the most part.

By: Chase

Chase — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 19:57:52 +0000

Considering that this was not a scientific poll, this entire post should be deleted. It is misleading. At the very least the title should be changed to "Survey shows support for DADT among MOAA members."

By: Ted B. (Charging Rhino)

Ted B. (Charging Rhino) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 18:58:09 +0000

Is this the same poll that Uncle Sully refrenced containing mostly senior officers who retired before DADT?Â And that almost all of those polled had not actually commanded combat troops in the field duringÂ the Iraq War and the Surge, nor witnessed the minimal-impact that openly-gay-within-their units soldiers and Marines have with today’s military?Â Let’s remember that old chestnut that the Army brass is always fighting the last war, not planning for the next one.

A better gauge would be to poll the current active-duty combat commanders at the Captain and Major levels in the cahin-of-command.Â They actually know who’s in their units…and more importantly where the actual combat-problems lie.

Plus, it’s best to remember that there are ways the Pentagon senior-brass in suits and uniforms can retaliate against retired general-grade officers that keep them toeing the party-line; cancel their security-clearances, restrict their access to active-duty installations, etc…Â Just like lobbysist, retired generals are hired and paid huge fees and salaries by the corporate sector (and the Fourth Estate) for their "access".Â Cut-off their "access", and they are soon living on their half-pay which barely covers their country club dues.

By: Houndentenor

Houndentenor — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 17:44:32 +0000

22%.Â That’s depressing.Â I think we may be stuck with this policy so long as the top brass are willing to go in front of Congress and testify that the policy is necessary.Â And given that only about 1 in 5 favor repealing it, I’m afraid that no one is going to be willing to speak out against the policy and take the heat for doing so, at least not while still serving.

By: Vince P

Vince P — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 17:03:14 +0000

If I was in the military I’d probably be against DADT just to save myself from the circus that would result ..not because of the merits of the policy itself… which is a shame.Â But that’s how things are now in this country.. Washington DC is the locus of unseriousness.. nothing productive gets done because of the partisan warfare… which I blame the Left for of course.. but it goes both ways.

I feel like the left and their petty vindictiveness have led to a government that is too dysfunctional to function.