Liz Cheney: Repeal DADT
Think Progress reports:
As Congress prepares to hold a vote on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Liz Cheney — who had come out in favor of repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell earlier this year — reiterated the need to lift the ban during a speech sponsored by the National Center for Policy Analysis. An amendment to repeal the measure is part of the NDAA.
After a speech last week in Texas, during which Cheney defended he father’s legacy and criticized Obama for reversing some of the Bush administration’s policies, she found common ground with the President on DADT:
There was, however, at least one controversial issue on which she agreed with Obama and most Democrats: repealing the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy for gays in the military.
Cheney – whose sister, Mary, is openly gay – pointed out that several top military officials support the repeal and that a recent Pentagon report showed such action wouldn’t affect the military’s readiness or defense capabilities.
“It’s time,” she said in an interview after the event.
In February, shortly after Obama announced that he would work to lift the ban in his State of the Union address, Cheney told TPMDC, “It’s time for it to end.” “The joint chiefs, certainly the chairman of the joint chiefs, has been clear about that and I think that the country really is at a place now where it’s time for it to end.” Unfortunately, Cheney did not say if she intended on lobbying Republican Senators to allow Reid to bring the measure to a vote in the Senate. A spokesperson for Keep America Safe — an organization Cheney co-founded — told me they had no immediate plans to press the issue.
