Wilkerson says DADT ‘should be repealed’ immediately.
Wilkerson says DADT ‘should be repealed’ immediately.
Col. Lawrence Wilkerson (ret.), former chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell, appeared on the XM/Sirius radio show “Stand Up! With Pete Dominick” today and stated forcefully that the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy barring gay men and women from serving openly in the military “should be repealed”:
DOMINICK: You’re a 31 year veteran of the military, Army, like I’ve said, you served in Vietnam. What’s your opinion of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy currently in place? Should it be repealed or should it remain in place?
WILKERSON: Let me say just right off the bat, it should be repealed. Gays should be able to serve – gays and lesbians should be able to serve openly in the American armed forces just like anyone else does. [...]
DOMINICK: It should be repealed immediately.
WILKERSON: Yep.
Listen here:
At a meeting commemorating the 40th anniversary of the gay rights movement at the White House today with more than 250 leaders of the gay community, President Obama defended his administration’s lack of action thus far in his presidency in repealing the policy. But according to the Boston Globe, Obama added the delay “does not diminish his pledge to eventually overturn it.” Read the Center for American Progress’s report on how Obama can repeal the ban here.
Transcript:
DOMINICK: You’re a 31-year veteran of the military, Army, like I’ve said, you served in Vietnam. What’s your opinion of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy currently in place? Should it be repealed or should it remain in place?
WILKERSON: Let me say just right off the bat, it should be repealed. Gays should be able to serve – gays and lesbians should be able to serve openly in the American armed forces just like anyone else does. And let me say that the way that policy came about, was we still need someone to write the book or the article or whatever because the real cruncher there was the Congress of the United States. It wasn’t the military, it wasn’t the joint staff, it certainly wasn’t Colin Powell. I was there; I was in the middle of it. It was the Congress of the United States. The Congress turned and members of the Congress of Clinton’s own party said to him, “Over our dead bodies.” And Clinton turned to Powell and said, “Oh work me out a compromise.” And Powell worked out the compromise, well the joint staff and the chairman and the chiefs worked out a compromise and it was “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” I’m not sure any of them liked it very much but that’s what we’ve got. But I gave you a direct answer.
DOMINICK: It should be repealed immediately.
WILKERSON: Yep.
I want to say a word about "don't ask, don't tell." As I said before -- I'll say it again -- I believe "don't ask, don't tell" doesn't contribute to our national security. (Applause.) In fact, I believe preventing patriotic Americans from serving their country weakens our national security. (Applause.) Now, my administration is already working with the Pentagon and members of the House and the Senate on how we'll go about ending this policy, which will require an act of Congress.
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WILKERSON: Let me say just right off the bat, it should be repealed.
Of course it should. Discrimination is just plain wrong.
June 29th, 2009 at 8:03 pmBesides the outright homophobic wingnuttery, who has come out in favor of continuing DADT? I’ve heard nothing supporting the continuation of this policy.
Obama is insisting that the change must come from Congress. Get busy, Nance and Harry!
PEACE
June 29th, 2009 at 8:05 pmDADT and DOMA are leftovers from the repiggie evangelical orgy in Washington D.C.
Religion is a private matter, and must remain so.
Religion should not be inflicting its dogma and its biases in the civil arena.
By the way, why aren’t more repiggie trolls on this blog serving in the military in Afghanistan?
June 29th, 2009 at 8:08 pmDADT is holy roller crap. It was forced on the Clinton Administration by repiggie and southern democrat evangelicals.
It is unfounded holy roller crap that has no place in an open society.
Since when is there an establish church in this nation?
I know that the megachurch crowd pushes the big lie of the U.S. being a “christian” nation.
June 29th, 2009 at 8:13 pmOverturn this policy, it’s hypocritical….kind of like the repugs acting like human beings.
June 29th, 2009 at 8:18 pmcomment #3….. UnfairMarketDick
Wall Street Journal isn’t a reliable source for anything, go ahead and keep posting it on every thread you lunatic.
June 29th, 2009 at 8:20 pmWhy isn’t our little repiggie troll in Iraq or Afghanistan right now?
Come on, he-man. Show us how brave you are.
The Army takes chubby evangelicals. Sign up, sugar plum.
June 29th, 2009 at 8:20 pmAfter seeing how the very threat of gay marriage led to Gov. Sanford’s now reported serial adultery, and Senator Ensign’s screwing a married staff member, just imagine what allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would do to the military?
Clearly, the gay community forced these Promise Keepers to cheat on their wives thus breaking his vows before their god. It’s startling to think of the complete and total collapse of our military if civil rights were restored!
/snark
PEACE
June 29th, 2009 at 8:25 pmThe repiggies have turned over their party to the whackjobs in the holy roller movement.
I am not ever going to be an evangelical. Stop shoving that crap down my throat.
June 29th, 2009 at 8:26 pmMy taxes should not go to support unverified holy roller social crap.
One would think that more little repiggie trolls would be enlisting for military service, since DADT is still official policy.
Wouldn’t there be less of a chance of running into gay men and women while in military service than in civilian life?
It is truly a wonder that more repiggies didn’t sign up.
June 29th, 2009 at 8:30 pmWhy aren’t more of these Sean Hannity-worshipping morons signing up for military service?
June 29th, 2009 at 8:32 pmThis is a christian nation and I don’t care what any of you homo atheists think, nobody wants to sit in a fox hole with a gay or even a woman. Gays and women should be able to serve but not on the battle field.
June 29th, 2009 at 8:32 pmrepublicans hate facts Says:
RHF, this troll is being truthful in this one instance, he is a tea-bagging Ron Paul follower.
In addition to several death threats this weekend, Trajan sent me an email bragging about his crew’s recent exploits.
This troll is just another one of the brainless twits who hang out at Twajie’s new stalker blob.
June 29th, 2009 at 8:36 pmWhy isn’t young repiggie in the military defending his “christian” nation?
Nice name-calling, little christian. No wonder so many are walking away from all that stuff.
You people focus on the Second Amendment, Adam and Eve, Leviticus and Revelations. Everything else, including the words of Jesus and the Sermon on the Mount, are tossed into the basement with the rest of the unused trash.
Shame on you for lacking the courage of your very convenient convictions.
You people just bring misery and horror everywhere you go.
The U.S. is not a Christian nation. Try studying the history of this nation, instead of prattling all the baloney from right-wing sites and holy roller sunday schools.
June 29th, 2009 at 8:37 pmWhy isn’t FLEAMARKETREPIGGIE serving in the military in Afghanistan?
June 29th, 2009 at 8:42 pmOT, but Keith just named NotJoeTheNotPlumber today’s Worst Person in the World for calling for the lynching of Senator Dodd. He also suggested that law enforcement go visit the man.
I still contend that there’s a swastika tatooed somewhere on that body.
PEACE
June 29th, 2009 at 8:51 pmWILKERSON’s opinion is not the opinion of military leadership.
He is just another O-6 that never made it to the general level. At best he was a go-fer for a general. So how would he know? How does his “opinion” carry anything more than cursory credibility? His opinion is not much better than some guy off the street.
June 29th, 2009 at 8:54 pmJoe the Plumber is a sterling example of the sclerotic state of thought within the repiggie ranks today. He and Sarah Palin have roughly the same I.Q.
Can you imagine either of those imbeciles within reach of the missile codes?
June 29th, 2009 at 8:54 pmI want to see DADT and DOMA repealed ASAP – but let the Obama Administration do it correctly. Let them destroy these laws in a way that no other President can re-enact them.
I see the cowards Young Rethuglican and FreeMarketLiar have been busy spewing nonsense. You both are cowards that will never have the courage to enlist but insist on stating who YOU think should have the right to serve?!!
June 29th, 2009 at 9:07 pmHormiga Brava Chavez, your blogname reminds me of a dynamite film that I saw a few years ago. It is called HORMIGAS EN LA BOCA, and it is an incredible film noir
set in Cuba just before the end of the Batista regime. It stars Ariadna Gil, one of my favorite actors from Spain. This film is a Spanish-Cuban production.
It is available on DVD here in the U.S.
June 29th, 2009 at 9:17 pmOT – sort of –
The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that a fundraiser for Francine Busby, who previously ran for the deeply-Republican Fiftieth District and came close to winning in the 2006 special election and subsequent regular election, was raided by sheriffs after an unnamed neighbor made a noise complaint. Busby now calls it a “phony” noise complaint, and the article says that multiple neighbors said there was no great noise at all.
The fundraiser was hosted by a lesbian couple, and shortly before the sheriffs came a particular neighbor had shouted anti-gay slurs at the assembled crowd. “It was a quiet home reception, disrupted by a vulgar person shouting obscenities from behind the bushes,” Busby says.
As one neighbor told the paper: “We didn’t hear anything until the sheriff came, with eight patrol cars and a helicopter.”
The sheriff’s department claims that somebody kicked an officer. By the time it was over, multiple people were pepper-sprayed, one of the hostesses was arrested, and the whole neighborhood got to see quite a scene.
June 29th, 2009 at 9:23 pmevangenital Says;
Hey – I’ve never heard of the movie but I’ll be checking it out (:
June 29th, 2009 at 9:28 pmFreeMarketLiberal Says:
Read the Libertarian platform you left loon moonbat.
It does explain why you’re such a whiny little baby. You were a loser when the GOP was in power, and you’re a loser now. All that’s left for you is to criticize the winners, as though anyone here gave a mouse fart what your opinion might be.
June 29th, 2009 at 9:59 pmIf FreeMarketLoser represents libertarian ideals, I’d rather remain a leftwing moonbat.
June 29th, 2009 at 10:22 pmThose were not “leaders” of the gay community. Leaders don’t “clap louder.”
June 29th, 2009 at 10:29 pmFML voted for Botch twice and now she’s a libertarian.
June 29th, 2009 at 10:37 pmFML is just a lying sackocrap. who CARES?
FOADYPPOS
June 29th, 2009 at 10:56 pmFREEMARKETREPIGGIE wouldn’t know a libertarian from a librarian.
June 29th, 2009 at 11:04 pmFreeMarketLiberal Says:
——————————————————————————–
Why would I whine about losing? Because the Libertarian party isn’t bought and paid for like a bunch of political W*H*O*R*E*S like Obama and former Bush? ROTFLMAOOOOOO
Ya sure! Alot of Republicans are becoming Libertarians! They’re no better.
June 29th, 2009 at 11:04 pmBob Barr? The Libertarian Party is a joke if this is the best they can do and if the actually think Barr is a “libertarian”…
June 29th, 2009 at 11:05 pmFreeMarketLiberal Says:
Why would I whine about losing? Because the Libertarian party isn’t bought and paid for
Who would pay a dime for the Libertarian party? You’re a joke.
June 29th, 2009 at 11:09 pmdbadass Says:
The trolls ran wild all weekend because you weren’t here to put them in their place.
June 29th, 2009 at 11:14 pmLibertarians no thanks!
June 29th, 2009 at 11:14 pmClaiming to know what dead people believed is always the sure sign of those who wish to see what they wish to see.
June 29th, 2009 at 11:16 pmRegghie:
June 29th, 2009 at 11:17 pmI am at the conference from hell and it has 3 more days left… Please kill me….
No FreeMarketLiar – no one will put money into the Libertarian party because of crazy nutjobs like you. They need to do better! Better representation – my goodness if you’re all they’ve got it’s over for the Libertarian Partee!
June 29th, 2009 at 11:17 pmShit sorry Reggie. It has been a long day
June 29th, 2009 at 11:17 pmHang in there dbadass! You can do it!
June 29th, 2009 at 11:18 pmI am at the conference from hell and it has 3 more days left… Please kill me….
It can’t be that bad, can it? How many hours a day are the meetings?
June 29th, 2009 at 11:19 pmIs this troll central? My Lord! Anyone who wants to serve in the military has the right to do so. How many bilinquists were fired because they are gay? Think of the monet spent training these people going to waste because of homophobia
June 29th, 2009 at 11:19 pmdbadass Says:
If you really have a death wish, you’re asking the wrong guy.
June 29th, 2009 at 11:23 pmI suggest you contact Trajan at Troll Central, he sent me several threatening emails yesterday, many of which contained death threats.
FML voted for Botch twice and now she’s a librarian.
June 29th, 2009 at 11:23 pmFML:
Are you willing to go on the record and declare you unconditional support for gay marriage and the right for all qualified gays to serve in the military?
June 29th, 2009 at 11:57 pmFreeMarketLiarbility – the Fed is not trying to control our lives. Stop listenting to wingnut talking heads like O’Really, Beck, Hannity, Limbaugh, Savage and the rest.
June 30th, 2009 at 12:09 amThere should be regulation of the energy bill. It is my understanding that additional taxation was not part of the energy bill. Republicans have tried to fool Americans into believing that we will have to pay an additional tax on the energy bill of $3100 – more or less. Republicans have sold this lie eventhough the person who wrote the report disputed their fake “fact.”
June 30th, 2009 at 12:18 amI’d post the links to the articles but I don’t have time 2night.
June 30th, 2009 at 12:19 amIf you voted for Botch, I don’t care what you say.
June 30th, 2009 at 12:19 amBREATHE, dbadass. It’s going to be o.k.
Are there fleas, head-lice, and bickering couples there? That’s hell.
June 30th, 2009 at 12:41 amHis standing is eroding. You are getting sleepy. Sleeeeepy. You will vote Republican.
June 30th, 2009 at 12:42 amFreeMarketLiberal Says:
Read the Libertarian platform you left loon moonbat.
OK… The libertarian platform – ah here it is: “If we have total anarchy, everything will work out like a magical paradise!”
Nope, doesn’t convince me.
June 30th, 2009 at 12:45 amLibertarian philosophy:
Build your own roads.
June 30th, 2009 at 12:58 amHomeschool your thirteen kids.
Build machine gun nests in your front and back yard to defend your family from the rapist brown people.
.
West Point graduate to stand trial Tuesday for being gay
Published: June 29, 2009
http://rawstory.com/08/news/2009/06/29/arabic-translator-to-stand-trial-tuesday-for-being-gay/
.
June 30th, 2009 at 2:47 am.
p.s.
Dear Daryyll,
A Happy Gay Day to you, too!
.
June 30th, 2009 at 2:48 amOf course Wilkerson thinks DADT should be repealed. He’s a liberal, or worse yet, a dirty f**king hippie, as Atrios would say.
How do we know? Because he’s been consistently telling us the truth, ever since he discovered he was being fooled, ever since he knew. I trust him. So should you, as far as I’m concerned.
June 30th, 2009 at 2:59 amDaddy-O,
What was that about those DFH?
:)
June 30th, 2009 at 3:14 amFrom what I’ve read, Max, Wilkerson (a Republican and Bush appointee, protege to Colin Powell) is a straight shooter, and the first Bush administration official to acknowledge the truth about…just about anything that went wrong in the Middle East and West Asia, his bailiwick, but as pertains to Colin Powell’s callous mistakes as well.
He was unceremoniously dropped from his position for doing so.
So the DFH and the entire post, really, is an example of an extremity of snark when posting after drinking. A serious no-no…
;=)
June 30th, 2009 at 5:11 amThe only people who believe they cannot serve with openly gay patriotic service members are those who are permanently stuck in an adolescent mind-set, and are afraid they’ll find themselves attracted to someone of the same sex who just might possibly be gay.
If these same adolescent-minded people are only around people they think are “straight”, then they’re just fine with their suppressed same-sex attraction.
The fact of the matter is that gay people have successfully and honorably served in the military for years and years.
Straight people are open about their sexuality, and tell EVERYONE about their sex lives ALL the time! It’s almost a badge of honor to bag multiple women (or men) while you’re in the service. Why do straight people feel the need to shove their sexual orientation in everyone’s faces, while complaining about someone saying “Oh, I’m gay”?
“Don’t ask, don’t tell” is code for blatantly hypocritical double standards.
June 30th, 2009 at 9:06 amDemocrat Soldier Says:
The only people who believe they cannot serve with openly gay patriotic service members are those who are permanently stuck in an adolescent mind-set, and are afraid they’ll find themselves attracted to someone of the same sex who just might possibly be gay.
And it’s these people we need drummed out of the military. They’re clearly not rational enough to be reliable in a dangerous situation, whether teh gays are present or not.
June 30th, 2009 at 10:29 am