Matt Yglesias on the Daily Beast:
In his letter to Lieutenant Tsao, Obama suggested that the need for congressional approval is the source of the delay. But there's some dispute as to whether or not congressional [action] is needed at all. And there's no doubting that the president has the power to influence the implementation. But more to the point, the White House has much ability to influence the pace of congressional action. Legislation to end discrimination in military service has been introduced, and the president could be strongly and vocally backing it rather than using the purported need for such a bill as an excuse for delay. And ultimately delay does no one any favors. The change will have to come sooner or later. In political terms, the White House may as well act decisively, take whatever hits they're going to take, and be done with it rather than letting this fester like a sore. And substantively, if the military is going to have to adjust they may as well do it sooner rather than later rather than lose more valuable personnel.Exactly. It's one thing to argue that next year will be better than this to take on the ban. It's another to apparently do little to nothing to use the next year to prepare for the battle. Congress won't vote to lift the ban simply because a gay group says so. Obama will need to actively lobby the public and Congress on this issue, or he risks getting creamed if and when he finally acts on his commitment to repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell. Bill Clinton's mistake wasn't acting too soon. It was acting without a plan for success.
Instead of writing more letters to patriotic men and women in uniform who are tired of living a lie, it's time for Obama to start writing letters to members of Congress urging them to change the rules.
