These anti-gay Republicans just won’t. give. up. As if Rep. Duncan Hunter’s (R-CA) “You-Can’t-Make-Me-Like-Gay-People” Bill wasn’t pathetic enough, now Republicans have sunk to the level of begging Leon Panetta to postpone DADT repeal, which will take effect on September 20. There was a day when these people were actually relevant. Now, they’re just kinda sad.
Reps. Buck McKeon (R-CA) and Joe “You Lie!” Wilson (R-SC…and who needs no introduction) have written a sad, desperate letter to the Defense Secretary to please, please, please put off repealing DADT. The military just isn’t ready for teh (open) gay! They need more time! I’m not sure how long it takes to get “ready” to meet an openly gay person, but apparently a really, really long time. It only takes me about an hour to get ready for a date, so I don’t know what’s up with these straight people taking months to get “ready.” Something tells me McKeon and Wilson are the ones who aren’t “ready” to see openly gay troops.
McKeon and Wilson argue that the July 22 certification of DADT repeal was “inaccurate” because the House has “not received copies of the revised regulations and a summary of all the specific policy changes.” Therefore, DADT repeal shouldn’t happen yet. Service members aren’t ready, and they’re not going to be ready until Buck McKeon and Joe Wilson say they’re ready!
[W]e now understand that certain regulations and policies necessary for implementation will have to undergo a review and comment period before they can be effective and that this period is not scheduled to begin until September 20th. The need for review and comment before these regulations and policies can be effective directly contravenes the July 22 certifications. The Department is not ready to implement the repeal because all the policies and regulations necessary for the transition are not yet final. [...]
Mr. Secretary, we trust that you will see the risk of moving forward with repeal without giving service members and their leaders adequate time to study, understand and prepare themselves to implement the revised policies and regulations that they will need to be successful.
Read the full letter here.
Of course, McKeon and Wilson are full of shit and out of gas. They know that, the Defense Department knows that, and the Pentagaon pretty much said as much in its response:
The repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell will occur, in accordance with the law and after a rigorous certification process, on September 20. Senior Department of Defense officials have advised Congress of changes to regulations and policies associated with repeal. We take that obligation seriously.
A senior defense official also has this to say:
The nearly two-decade debate on this issue is over. The service secretaries, service chiefs, and combatant commanders submitted their recommendations months ago, and none of them suggested that repeal be postponed.
And, I’m sure much to the displeasure of Reps. McKeon and Wilson, Army Gen. Carter Ham, who worked on the DADT repeal study, says what we all already know: DADT repeal is going to be “pretty inconsequential.” Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno echoed those sentiments: “I’m not concerned. I think we’ll be okay.”
The military is already over this. Why don’t Buck McKeon and Joe Wilson and Duncan Hunter just fucking drop it already? It's called losing with grace, guys. You're doing it wrong. (But, of course, you have to have grace to begin with, sooooo...)