Merc, to continue...
Here are a few of Gates' comments and positions over the past 18 months:
St Petersburg Post
Obama's repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" on the back burner
Updated: Monday, March 30th, 2009 | By Angie Drobnic Holan
Quote:
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in an interview that he's not actively pursuing a repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," rule, which prohibits gays and lesbians from openly serving in the military. The admission came at the end of an interview on Fox News Sunday .
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"Where does that stand? And why is there currently money in the 2010 budget to keep enforcing that policy?"
"Well, it continues to be the law," Gates said. "And any change in the policy would require a change in the law. We will follow the law, whatever it is. That dialogue, though, has really not progressed very far at this point in the administration. I think the president and I feel like we've got a lot on our plates right now, and let's push that one down the road a little bit."
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Politico
May 25, 2010
Gates 'can accept' 'Don't Ask' repeal plan
Quote:
Defense Secretary Robert Gates issued a grudging -- but crucial -- statement this morning through his spokesman Geoff Morrell, as the administration pushes forward with the repeal of the ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military -- but pointedly insists that Congress carry the political burden.
“Secretary Gates continues to believe that ideally the DOD review should be completed before there is any legislation to repeal the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell law. With Congress having indicated that is not possible, the Secretary can accept the language in the proposed amendment," Morrell said.
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Washington Post
Gates says abrupt end to 'don't ask' would have 'enormous consequences'
By Craig Whitlock and Scott Wilson
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, October 13, 2010; 5:03 PM
Quote:
Gates declined to answer directly when asked whether the administration should appeal a federal court injunction ordering the military to immediately end the policy. But he said he wants to proceed with his preferred approach: to allow the Defense Department to complete, by Dec. 1, a review of how to integrate openly gay men and lesbians in the armed forces, followed by an act of Congress that would overturn the "don't ask, don't tell" law.
"I feel very strongly that this is an action that needs to be taken by the Congress, and that it is an action that requires careful preparation and a lot of training," Gates told reporters aboard a military aircraft as he flew to Brussels for a NATO meeting.
Gates said the Pentagon needs until Dec. 1 to resolve questions such as whether heterosexual troops would be required to share housing with gays and whether the military would be required to provide benefits for same-sex partners of service members.
"This is a very complex business. It has enormous consequences for our troops," Gates said. "As I have said from the very beginning, there should be legislation, and that legislation should be informed by the review we have underway."
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With respect to Gates' current issues of "separate housing"
Should we believe that the military and/or Gates was not already aware of the existence of G / L in the military.
If he/they knew this and truly believed it to be harmful to morale, then alternative housing would have been created long ago.
The "benefits" issue is also bogus because, as Gates says, the military could simply follow the law... when legally married, partners get equal benefits.