The military, desperate for Arabic translators is about to discharge Dan Choi, an officer in the National Guard under the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy. This will make him the first minority to be publicly discriminated against under the Obama administration.
Obama has to put up or shut up. Does he smear everything he stands for by allowing systematic discrimination against gay men and women, or does he stop it? Now that he’s President, he’s not just allowing bigotry and discrimination, he’s encouraging it. He’s the Commander-in-Chief. He doesn’t get to say, “my hands are tied.” Yes, he inherited Don’t Ask, but he can just as well disinherit it.
For a great piece on what could be a watershed moment for ending Don’t Ask, read Aaron Belkin’s column in HuffPo.
As a candidate Obama railed against prejudice; as a leader he can end it. What’s he going to choose? How many people will his administration victimize before he acts? Does Obama, who speaks openly of the discrimination he suffered, turn around and inflict it on others? Will the Commander-in-Chief become the Discriminator-in-Chief? Or will he step up and show us the courage of his conviction?
I know his advisers are saying, “Now’s not the right time, we’ve too much on our plate with the economy and the war.”
Here’s what I say: There is never a wrong time to do the right thing.