District Judge Virginia Phillips (Clinton appointee): "Any ultimate repeal that may result from legislation is at this point remote, if not wholly speculative."All of these individuals look like world-class JACKASSES now, and history will duly note them as such unsparingly. Damn that felt good to write. (And, to be honest, I hope the president is gloating a bit privately. He’s earned a little payback in my book.)
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV): "This is really the dynamics and the strategy coming out of the White House ... and right now they are not out there lobbying this hard." (Manchin skipped today’s vote, opting instead for a family party)
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-NC): "This is all politics. I don't believe there is anywhere near the votes to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell. … So I think in a lame duck setting [DADT] is not going anywhere." (He voted No)
Prof. Raymond Griffith (HuffPo): “Dear President Obama: You wimped out on [DADT]. You delayed action, and delayed action again. Now the Senate Republicans, your new friends, are going to filibuster it.”
Cody Gault (HuffPo): “This President is soft on progress. [Obama] too often values consensus over conscience, overestimates Republican decency and, as a result, sells his convictions short. .. He should strike down [DADT] immediately -- without seeking Congress's approval.”
Jim Neal (HuffPo): “[DADT] will be a litmus test of his leadership and integrity. He has fooled no one with his call for process-driven repeal while his Department of Justice simultaneously litigates against the very legislation he purports to support.”
Rob Smith (Writer/Army Veteran): “10 months after [you signified] your support for ending DADT, your administration has turned the DADT repeal process into a horror show. … Your actions ensured that it would be brought back with only the thinnest of chances to get the repeal legislation passed through congress. This is shameful.”
Politico writer Josh Gerstein (10/17/10): “Obama’s go-slow 'don't ask, don't tell' plan backfires.”
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ): "We don't have a problem. This is about a political promise made by an inexperienced president … The system (DADT) is working.” (Congress, the military and America disagreed overwhelmingly)
Look, vigorous debate is a good thing. Holding Mr. Obama’s feet to the fire is a good thing. But the shrillness and cluelessness of the above naysayers (and their cohort legions) show yet again the validity of Orwell’s famous adage: “To see what is in front of one's nose needs a constant struggle.”
From the start, President Obama has been unequivocal about DADT: “This policy will end, and it will end on my watch.” He was right, and it did. Mr. Obama is not perfect and he won’t always get it right. But given a choice between trusting his judgment or that of his vociferous critics, I’ll go with the president any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
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