Obama National Security Adviser: DADT Repeal Will Come "At The Right Time"

Obama administration national security adviser James Jones said yesterday that the repeal of DADT will come "at the right time."

"I don't think it's going to be — it's not years, but I think it will be teed up appropriately," James Jones said. Jones said Obama "has an awful lot on his desk. I know this is an issue that he intends to take on at the appropriate time. And he has already signaled that to the Defense Department. The Defense Department is doing the things it has to do to prepare, but at the right time, I'm sure the president will take it on." As a candidate, Obama signaled support for repealing the law. To the disappointment of gay-rights supporters, he has yet to made a move since taking office in January. The White House has said it will not stop the military from dismissing gays and lesbians who acknowledge their sexuality. Last year, 634 members of the military were discharged for being gay, or .045 percent of the active-duty U.S. force, according to an Aug. 14 congressional report.

At the right time. Whenever that is.

Obama's National Security Adviser "Not Sure" If DADT Will Be Repealed

Servicemembers Legal Defense Network responds:

Gay and lesbian soldiers continue to get fired on this President's watch, most recently Arabic linguist Army Lt. Dan Choi and 2nd Army Second Lt. Sandy Tsao. At the end of the day, this is what the debate is about-them and their families. Also on ‘This Week', Senator John McCain indicated that a study or review should be conducted. "A protracted study or National Commission is a cop out," notes [SLDN executive director] Sarvis. "It is the way Washington ignores something it doesn't want to deal with. We hope Obama is not going along with this." There have been almost a dozen studies on the topic. Going back to 1993, RAND did a study on the impact of openly gay and lesbian soldiers on unit cohesion. Their conclusion: no negative impact. Every scientific, credible study since then has come to the same conclusion. SLDN had hoped this president would offer leadership, not give in to some throw away study or commission. The right approach would be a presidential working group that focuses solely on implementation and reports back to the president with recommendations within 90 days.