DADT

Ahhh, as predictable as night follows day, DADT (the US military policy of Don't Ask Don't Tell) remains in place. This is despite Obama signing a repeal following the vote of the US Senate to repeal the 1993 Clinton law last year. I was one of the few party poopers who noted it wouldn't be simply swept away and I'm sad to say I seem to be right. The repeal doesn't kick in until the Pentagon certifies that military readiness won't be impacted by a repeal. That can be as quick or short as you like. It is a classic 'how long is a piece of string?' clause.

If you want to stall (as the military seem to), you can require reviews, reports, all terribly time consuming. You'll emphasise how committed to equality you are, but nobody wants to put our brave service personnel at any greater risk. The armed forces aren't the same as Walmart etc. Play the old nationalist card and you're safe for another six months.

On the other hand, if you were serious about change, you'd emphasise that change never comes quickly, that it's important a clear signal is sent out. Our brave men and women have never ducked the hard decisions and the difficult challenges, thrive on challenge, and we're implementing this reform immediately. We know it's going to be tough blah blah blah.

This latest move is by Log Cabin Republicans (apparently not because you can fit all the gay republicans in the world into a tiny log cabin), who have brought a legal action in California to challenge the ongoing delay. One to watch, but immediate can be such a flexible term.

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