G.I.s, Joe: Lieberman vs. (I-CT)reatment of gay troops

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02/22/2010

by Jeremy Hooper

This from conservative gay writer James Kirchick:

WASHINGTON - Just when you thought Joe Lieberman couldn't frustrate and perplex liberals any further, he is going off to become chief sponsor of the most significant piece of socially progressive legislation that Congress will deal with this year.

Next week, the Connecticut senator will announce that he's taking the lead on repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, the 1993 law that prohibits gay people from serving openly in the armed forces.
*Read more: On 'ask,' Lieberman answers the call: An exclusive chat about Don't Ask, Don't Tell [New York Daily News]

Actually, James: This doesn't frustrate or perplex us at all. Not even a little bit. Because military fairness, like marriage equality, is not a "liberal" issue -- it's only been turned into one by those who've hijacked the word "conservative." So it makes sense that Dick Cheney, Adml. Mullen, Colin Powell, and now Joe Lieberman would get behind this simple national security, individual liberty issue. They're doing what's right, as opposed to what's far-right.

Plus Lieberman's an orthodox Jew. Social justice defies politics, and there's perhaps no community, writ large, who understands the ugliness of discrimination more than the Jewish people. We'd imagine that his background also has something to do with Sen. Lieberman's motivations, and why he finds bias to be less-than-kosher.

So yeah: We both get and appreciate it. The partisans who should be offended are those within the GOP who are once again seeing folks like John McCain, Sarah Palin, and all of the assorted "pro-family" groups turn the protection of wanton discrimination into a Republican issue! It's the monkey on the elephant's back that needs address, not the willingness of an Independent to curry favor with the donkeys.

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**ALSO: A new Palm Center study helps us make the case: Gay Soldiers Don’t Cause Disruption, Study Says [NYT]