Or, more likely, did they get on board to close another avenue to discharges?
For all of Barack Obama's talk, during the signing ceremony, of steps towards equality, reality, if you're straight and you die serving, your spouse gets benefits. If you're gay? Forget it. Even if you were married in a state that recognizes marriage equality, even if you married in that state and reside in it.
There's nothing equal about what Barack did. Now, true, once upon a time, Plessy v. Ferguson was praised too. Didn't promote or provide equality, but it was praised.
Even worse, Peter Certo (Foreign Policy in Focus) reports on how to push the removal through, the Congress agreed no Guantanamo 'detainees' would be transferred to US soil -- for trial or imprisonment.
Equality did not happen last week. The measure the Congress passed did not even mention equality. It did not affirm the rights of all US citizens. It only wiped Don't Ask, Don't Tell off the books.
That's reality.
Barack Obama and the Congress could have led. To the surprise of only the Cult of St. Barack, they elected not to.
If you want to applaud anyone, applaud Adm. Mike Mullen, the Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who went beyond band-aids and actually spoke about equality. He deserved applause and your sure sign of that was the clinging-bitterness of Barack that surfaced when Mullen's was being applauded ("He already has enough power. Don't -- ").
