Just posted this at AMERICAblog Gay. I got a statement on Don't Ask, Don't Tell from Richard Socarides, the political strategist and attorney, who served as White House Special Assistant and Senior Advisor to President Bill Clinton. He also worked on Capitol Hill -- and he really knows how the political and legal game is played. He's often on tv and is widely quoted on LGBT issues. Richard's statement addresses what a number of people have been asking:
There are two things we should all be insisting on from President Obama and Attorney General Holder right now. We all need to be united about this as a community.
One, there is no excuse, and there can be none, for the continued enforcement of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy, even in a scaled down version. The president says he's against it, the American people are against it, it hurts our national security, and now a federal court has ruled it violates our sacred constitution. This insanity must end now. There must be a complete and immediate end to all DADT discharges.
Second, there is no valid legal (or political) reason to pursue an appeal. There is no legal obligation to continue to defend a law declared unconstitutional by a sitting federal judge. We must insist on an unequivocal statement from the president that he will allow the ruling to stand, because it is in accordance with his long held view, but more importantly, because doing so is consistent with our constitution. We must expect and demand no less from him. No appeal. Let this ruling become the law of the land.
