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Rumsfeld: Time to let gays serve openly in the military

February 16, 2011 by B. Daniel Blatt

Look at the things you miss on a busy weekend when you take a nephew to Disneyland.

One of former President George W. Bush’s top military advisers joins his friend, the most pro-gay Vice President in U.S. history,in coming out in support of Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell (DADT) repeal:

Former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who served at the Pentagon under two Republican presidents, says the “time has come” time for gays and lesbians to serve openly in the US military.

Two months after President Obama signed a law that will lead to the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Rumsfeld told ABC News Radio that the nation is ready for open service.

“First of all, we know that gays and lesbians have been serving in the military for decades with honorable service,” Rumsfeld said.  “We know that [repeal of a ban on gays serving openly] is an idea whose time has come.”

Rumsfeld says he has “enormous respect” for the ground commanders and service chiefs who have expressed concerns about the impact of gays serving openly on unit cohesion, and he urged the top brass to implement the new law “with care.”

Pretty much summarizes my view.  Kudos, Mr. Secretary.   Just wish you had pushed repeal when you were in office.  (But, then again, maybe he did and that’ll come out in his book.)

Filed Under: DADT (Don't Ask, Don't Tell), Noble Republicans

Comments

  1. ThatGayConservative says

    February 16, 2011 at 4:10 am - February 16, 2011

    I didn’t go anywhere and I missed that.

  2. Seane-Anna says

    February 16, 2011 at 6:24 am - February 16, 2011

    Morning, B. Daniel. I wonder if you’d have a lot of respect for Mr. Rumsfeld if his opinion on this issue went the other way. And it’s finally time to admit what this is all about. Repealing DADT had nothing to do with military readiness or national security. It was about enhancing the status of homosexuality in our culture. It was social engineering, pure and simple. But I still respect Mr. Rumsfeld even though his view differs from mine.

    (And if this is a double post, I apologize. My laptop had a hiccup. Again. Sigh.)

  3. ILoveCapitalism says

    February 16, 2011 at 6:29 am - February 16, 2011

    I wonder if you’d have a lot of respect for Mr. Rumsfeld if his opinion on this issue went the other way.

    Well Seane-Anna, why don’t you get off your lazy, accusing rear end and check the GayPatriot blog archives? Did Dan speak respectfully of Rumsfeld in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 or 2010? (Hint: yes)

  4. ILoveCapitalism says

    February 16, 2011 at 6:31 am - February 16, 2011

    (And part of the point being that, in all of that time, the issue **had seemingly gone** or **did go** “the other way”.)

  5. Levi says

    February 16, 2011 at 7:13 am - February 16, 2011

    Wait… why does he deserve kudos? Shouldn’t he have been making these statements while he was in office? Why give him the credit when he didn’t do anything while he was in a position of accountability? Can you not see that him saying this is the easiest thing in the world? How is it that a grown man, who supposedly has a doctorate, can fall for such an obvious political trick?

    I can’t believe that you guys try to find nice things to say about Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney. They’ve done more damage to this country and the world than anyone I can think of.

  6. The_Livewire says

    February 16, 2011 at 7:31 am - February 16, 2011

    Apparently Levi can’t think of Dhimmy Carter or President Obama.

  7. Auntie Dogma says

    February 16, 2011 at 8:39 am - February 16, 2011

    >>>One of former President George W. Bush’s top military advisers joins his friend, the most pro-gay Vice President in U.S. history,in coming out in support of Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell (DADT) repeal

    Better late than never.

    If Rummy’s smart, he won’t be doing much international traveling now that he’s in his golden years.

  8. rodney says

    February 16, 2011 at 8:56 am - February 16, 2011

    “shouldn’t he have been making these statements while he was in office?”

    NO. NO. NO. (and HELL NO!)

    His job wasn’t flipping burgers where he could go against mgmt instructions and give his girlfriend a free meal on Friday nights.
    He was the Secretary of Defense of the United States of America.
    It’s not ‘okay’ to run off on your own little tangents when you’re in the administration of the government of the (then) most powerful nation in the world. You tow the line. You are counted on to do that; and for the most part not for expediency’s sake nor for politics.

    Not the least among reasons for this:
    In some parts of the world (incidentally the most dangerous and volatile places today) ANY sign of dissent, discordance or dispute within an administration, government, etc. is not only viewed as a sign of malcontent, but of weakness and frailty. Having this attitude about your adversary (or ally) completely changes the rules, your bargaining position and your ability to solve things with ‘just words’ {*See our standing in the world today with both allies and adversaries.}

    *Please sit down for this next part*

    SOMEtimes, others’ interests and needs of a paramount nature take precedence over making a smaller group feel the love and acceptance they didn’t get at home or from their handsy high school guidance counselor.
    That may very well be why the Founders put “the Pursuit of Happiness” last, behind “Life, Liberty and”.

  9. Pat says

    February 16, 2011 at 9:14 am - February 16, 2011

    It was social engineering, pure and simple.

    Yes, Seane-Anna, God forbid that someone supports repeal of DADT does so for some other reason, like doing the right thing. But then again, I’m sure you believe that allowing women or Jewish persons in the military, or integrating Blacks in the military was social engineering as well.

  10. B. Daniel Blatt says

    February 16, 2011 at 11:24 am - February 16, 2011

    You raise some good points in your rant, rodney!

  11. rusty says

    February 16, 2011 at 12:13 pm - February 16, 2011

    Rummy >> “First of all, we know that gays and lesbians have been serving in the military for decades with honorable service,” Rumsfeld said. “We know that [repeal of a ban on gays serving openly] is an idea whose time has come.”

    It is a good thing for this fighting MO

    Openly gay Lt. Colonel Victor Fehrenbach has been advised that he will be allowed to retire in October with his full rank and pension intact. The Air Force didn’t ask and Fehrenbach didn’t tell, but he was outed in 2008 by a man he met online. His case highlighted the idiocy of DADT.

    “It was a great sense of relief. I didn’t expect it,” said Fehrenbach, 41, a 1991 University of Notre Dame graduate, in a telephone interview Tuesday from Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho. For nearly three years, Fehrenbach has been in a battle to save his career because of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy — a policy that was overturned in late 2010. With no further explanation, the military in January sent Fehrenbach new orders: Effective Sept. 30, he will be retired from active duty at his current rank and with his pension. He’ll serve out the remaining months of his military duty at his current desk job at the base in Idaho.

    A highly-decorated F-15 fighter pilot, Fehrenbach flew numerous combat missions in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kosovo. Upon his retirement this fall, he plans to write a book. JMG

    Wonder if Vic was looking for that warm fuzzy acknowledgement . . . Just Asking rodney

  12. Tim says

    February 16, 2011 at 1:55 pm - February 16, 2011

    I keep looking for ND30’s denouement of Rummy as a left wing commie…

  13. ThatGayConservative says

    February 16, 2011 at 2:15 pm - February 16, 2011

    They’ve done more damage to this country and the world than anyone I can think of.

    You made up the first half of your sentence, why not go for the gusto and make up the rest?

  14. Rob says

    February 16, 2011 at 5:00 pm - February 16, 2011

    A fitting message to those who oppose the immediate repeal of DADT, especially those that are serving:

    As you know, you go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time.
    -Donald Rumsfeld

  15. DaveO says

    February 16, 2011 at 10:33 pm - February 16, 2011

    The qualifier is “with care.” Question being: who defines what “with care” means in planning, resourcing, and implementing the integration of open homosexuals into the armed services.

    Does the GLB community have the patience to permit an orderly transition? Or will gay conservatives and progressives again join hands to force the transition in weeks, instead of longer?

    I say the President will sign an Executive Order forcing it just as the Republican primaries come to a close because he needs the GLBT money and GOTV activism. The blue states are already on board with suppressing the military servicemembers votes.

  16. rodney says

    February 17, 2011 at 9:07 am - February 17, 2011

    #10. My apologies for my comment seeming to be a ‘rant’.
    #12. Obviously my caricature doesn’t apply to him: he was a distinguished officer who FOLLOWED THE RULES. And who, I’d wager, was outted by some sick, sad piece of gay trash that figured he would force the issue for some ‘greater good’ or LtCl. Fehrenbach’s ‘own good’.
    #16. I’d often wondered why the Left purported to support gays in the military (after holding complete political power for several times in recent history and in no way acting on behalf of gays) when they’d just be categorically disenfranchising them once they’re in (and out).

  17. Peter Hughes says

    February 17, 2011 at 10:51 am - February 17, 2011

    #7 – “If Rummy’s smart, he won’t be doing much international traveling now that he’s in his golden years.”

    If you were smart (which is debatable), you wouldn’t put yourself out there in the line of fire, now would you?

    Regards,
    Peter H.

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