‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ isn’t going anywhere…for now

The AP reports that the Pentagon “has no plans” to repeal the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy that prevents gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military:

“I do not believe there are any plans under way in this building for some expected, but not articulated, anticipation that don’t ask-don’t tell will be repealed,” Morrell told reporters at the Pentagon.

[snip]

Morrell said Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen both have discussed the issue with Obama.

“They’re aware of where the president wants to go on this issue, but I don’t think that there is any sense of any immediate developments in the offing on efforts to repeal don’t ask-don’t tell,” Morrell said.

But I wouldn’t go as far as Jillian Bandes at Townhall, who cites this as evidence that “there will be no revoking of the ‘don’t ask don’t tell’ policy in the U.S. military.”

Marc Ambinder has more on the Obama administration’s cautious policy in repealing the policy, a goal he insists they’re committed to:

You can see the outline of the strategy in the administration’s decision to let stand an appeals court ruling requiring the military to explain why being gay is, in itself, a reason to have fired a highly regarded lesbian Air Force major. The effect of not appealing the ruling will put the burden on the government to explain to skeptical judges why being gay is inherently incompatible with military service, something the administration (and many in the military) believe is very hard to prove, let alone justify. The hope here is that by allowing the military to make its best case–and then seeing that case be torn apart by the courts, a critical mass of opposition to Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, will build.

This strikes me as exactly the opposite technique Bill Clinton used to (clumsily) address the issue early in his term. Rather than picking a fight with the military and facing the backlash–both within the Pentagon and the general public–the Obama administration is putting the ball in the military’s court.