'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Comes Out of the Closet
Host:
Produced by:
Subscribe to this Podcast:
Listen to/Watch entire show:
President Obama wants to revoke "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," but Congress will have to repeal the ban on gays in the military. We hear about morale and civil rights in the military. Also, more troops for Afghanistan, and a progress report on healthcare reform, which gets its final hearing today in the Senate Finance Committee.
Reporter's Notebook
Senate Finance Committee Passes Healthcare Reform Bill ()
Senate Finance today became the fifth Committee of Congress to take up healthcare reform, with a version designed to get enough votes to pass the full Senate. One of the big questions about reform was whether a single Republican would be willing to go along. In Senate Finance today, all eyes were on Olympia Snowe of Maine. Alex Wayne covers healthcare policy for CQPolitics.com.
Guests:
- Alex Wayne: Reporter, CQPolitics.com
Making News
At Least 13,000 Additional Troops to Go to Afghanistan ()
President Obama is considering a request for 40,000 more troops in Afghanistan, beyond the 21,000 he ordered in March. But in today's Washington Post Ann Scott Tyson reports that another 13,000 are already being deployed.
Guests:
- Ann Scott Tyson: Pentagon Correspondent, Washington Post
Main Topic
'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Comes Out of the Closet ()
At a gay rights dinner on Saturday night, President Obama repeated as promise he made during last year's campaign, that of ending the exclusion of gays in the military. Obama could revoke Bill Clinton's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," policy, but it will take an act of Congress to repeal the ban. Hard-line activists say Obama is moving too slowly, but now from the Pentagon's highest levels comes a call for the repeal of the ban. An article for the Joint Chiefs of Staff says there's "no scientific evidence" that gays and lesbians damage morale," but that, in the meantime, they're required to live a lie. Is Congress likely to listen?
Guests:
- Bryan Bender: National Security Reporter, Boston Globe, @GlobeBender
- James Bowman: Resident Scholar, Ethics and Public Policy Center, @JamesVBowman
- Nathaniel Frank: Senior Fellow, UC Santa Barbara's Palm Center
- Nan Hunter: Professor of Law, Georgetown University
Links:
- Military Times' poll on homosexuals in the military
- Zogby Poll on gays in the military
- Advocate magazine on Senator Lieberman and DADT
- Bowman's Weekly Standard article supporting current US policy on gays in the military
- Frank's 'Unfriendly Fire: How the Gay Ban Undermines the Military and Weakens America'
- Hunter's post on what the media are missing in Obama's speech
Engage & Discuss
Further the conversation with your thoughts and comments. Agree, disagree, present a different perspective -- engage.
For information and guidelines click: Terms of Service | Privacy Policy
Please note, comments are moderated. KCRW reserves the right to edit and or remove posts deemed off-topic, abusive or not in accordance with KCRW's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
BROUGHT TO YOU BY
