Does President Obama have more concern for Guantanamo detainees than the LGBT community? Richard Socarides, former President Bill Clinton’s LGBT issues advisor, thinks so. In a rather scathing Wall Street Journal Op-Ed, he points out an Obama campaign promise, made to the HRC: “America is ready to get rid of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. All that is required is leadership.”

Judging the prospects for a repeal by that standard, there’s plenty of reasons to be pessimistic: scare tactics from the Pentagon alluding to the possible need for segregated living quarters or even segregated units for LGBT servicemembers, silence from Administration officials as the President’s defense budget proposal nears (where a repeal will probably be proposed) , and still no Senate hearings announced on the subject. Earlier today, a spokesperson for Senator Carl Levin, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, told TheColu.mn that they were hoping to schedule a hearing for this week, and were expecting a decision this afternoon. These hearings would be critical to any attempt to prevent a right-wing backlash like that faced by Clinton in 1993.

Many question why the White House avoided dealing with Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell last year, when Democrats had big majorities in Congress and polls showed that a majority of Americans favor changing the policy. A Quinnipiac poll in April, for example, found that 56% of Americans support repealing the policy.

A big part of the reason why the White House hesitated is fear of a backlash similar to the one suffered by President Bill Clinton in 1993 when he tried to allow gays to serve openly in the military. Recently we saw the potential beginning of an antigay fear campaign—much like the one in 1993 when then Sen. Sam Nunn (D., Ga.) was leading the charge—in the form of a leaked memo from a legal adviser to Mr. Mullen. The legal adviser opined that “now is not the time” to lift the ban because of “the importance of winning the wars we are in.” Also, the New York Times reported recently that the Pentagon had begun considering “the practical implications of a repeal—for example, whether it would be necessary to change shower facilities and locker rooms because of privacy concerns.”

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What is especially troubling, however, is Mr. Obama’s oversensitivity to a dwindling minority of bigots on this issue. Hundreds of military careers have been destroyed on his watch for no valid reason. The country has been deprived of the talents of these service members and has wasted millions of dollars on their training.

(h/t AmericaBlog)

Elsewhere…

D.C. – With 41 seats in the Senate, the GOP can filibuster anything it wants and get away with it…unless you change the filibuster rules. (ThinkProgress)

Uganda – Martin Ssempa, a leading religious leaders supporting the “Kill Gays” bill, is screening gay porn as a way of scaring up support for the bill. (Towleroad)

South Carolina – An anti-dating violence bill that excludes same-sex couples is back, and is getting hearings in the South Carolina State Legislature. Because saving lives is less important than making sure schools aren’t “forced” to talk about same-sex relationships. (Pam’s House Blend)