White House still has no strategy or plan to end DADT

I posted this a short time ago at AMERICAblog Gay.

Every time Kerry Eleveld asks Robert Gibbs a question, we hear an answer that is disappointing and disillusioning. Today's exchange in the White House press briefing room was no exception. Here's Kerry's report. I posted the full exchange below:

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs reiterated on Monday President Barack Obama’s “deeply held view” that the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy should be overturned, but he stopped short of saying what the White House would do if the legislative effort failed.

Gibbs always stops short of saying what the White House would do, because the White House won't do anything. It's not like this issue hasn't garnered enormous amounts of news coverage over the past couple weeks and months. The White House has no plan or strategy -- still.

Here's the full interaction between Kerry and Gibbs:

The Advocate:It looks like the defense authorization bill and with it “don’t ask don’t tell” repeal is sort of barreling toward a dead end — 69 House members and now 16 Senators have signed on to a letter urging the president to instruct his Justice Department not to appeal a recent decision that ruled “don’t ask, don’t tell” unconstitutional. Is that something that's even being discussed within the walls of the White House right now — not appealing that decision?

Robert Gibbs: I think the Department of Justice, last I heard, was reviewing the case. Obviously, the president has a deeply held view that this is a law that can and should be changed. We worked to make sure that that happened in the House and we regrettably were unsuccessful in the Senate, but it’s not going to stop the president from trying.

Not being aware of all the discussions around here, I know that the Justice Department is weighing a series of arguments as they make those decisions.

Right, but ultimately that power resides with the president. I mean, he can instruct his Justice Department not to appeal.

I’ll be honest with you, Kerry, I don’t have an update on whether that’s something that’s (inaudible)…

Any contingency plans at all? I mean, I’ve listened to you talk about the priorities for lame-duck — you rattled through them on Thursday, Friday, and today and not once has defense authorization been mentioned…

I will say, and I think I’ve said on a couple of occasions that, off the top of my head, I wouldn’t say that this list is completely exhaustive. Let me see if I can get better guidance on that, but understanding again, the president’s deeply held belief that we have to make the change.

What do our advocacy groups, the ones who flaunt their White House access, actually do? Because the White House talks a lot, but doesn't act on LGBT equality.