Brody's Notes... New York Times Columnist Frank Rich On DADT & Bigotry

By Brody Levesque (Bethesda, Maryland) Feb 7 | In a February 6th Op-Ed, New York Times columnist Frank Rich opined that; "Most Americans recognize that being gay is not a “lifestyle” but an immutable identity, and that outlawing discrimination against gay people who want to serve their country is, as the admiral said, “the right thing to do.” [Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen] in his column regarding the reactions to testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee last Tuesday.

Mr. Rich also stated that he believed that; "Indeed, anti-gay animus is far more likely to repel voters than attract them." He cited the example of Senator Orrin Hatch, (R) Utah, who looked visibly uncomfortable as he was responding to questions from MSNBC correspondent Andrea Mitchell as the Senator was, "trying to duck any discernible stand on Mullen’s testimony."

From The New York Times:

Smoke the Bigots Out of the Closet

Frank Rich   Photo By  Fred R. Conrad  The New York Times

By Frank Rich (New York, New York) Feb 6 | A funny thing happened after Adm. Mike Mullen called for gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the military: A curious silence befell much of the right. If this were a Sherlock Holmes story, it would be the case of the attack dogs that did not bark.

John McCain, commandeering the spotlight as usual, did fulminate against the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” But the press focus on McCain, the crazy man in Washington’s attic, was misleading. His yapping was an exception, not the rule.

Many of his Republican colleagues said little or nothing. The right’s noise machine was on mute. The Fox News report on Mullen’s testimony was fair and balanced — and brief. The network dropped the subject entirely in the Hannity-O’Reilly hothouse of prime time that night. Only ratings-desperate CNN gave a fleeting platform to the old homophobic clichés. Michael O’Hanlon, an “expert” from the Brookings Institution, speculated that “18-year-old, old-fashioned, testosterone-laden” soldiers who are “tough guys” might object to those practicing “alternative forms of lifestyle,” which he apparently views as weak and testosterone-deficient. His only prominent ally was the Family Research Council, which issued an inevitable “action alert” demanding a stop to “the sexualization of our military.” 

The occasional outliers notwithstanding, why did such a hush greet Mullen on Capitol Hill? The answer begins with the simple fact that a large majority of voters — between 61 percent and 75 percent depending on the poll — now share his point of view. Most Americans recognize that being gay is not a “lifestyle” but an immutable identity, and that outlawing discrimination against gay people who want to serve their country is, as the admiral said, “the right thing to do.”

Read More Here: NYTIMES