In a last-ditch effort to blast legislation through Congress as midterm elections approach, President Barack Obama and Senate Democrats failed to repeal the military's controversial "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which does not allow openly gay people to serve in the armed forces.
Federal judges have ruled the policy unconstitutional and public opinion shows that a majority of Americans think that it should be repealed.
Politicians, though, have again failed to get a seemingly obvious issue correct, to the surprise of nobody.
It is easy to blame the Republicans for this, as they unanimously voted against the bill, which they seem to do with any Obama-backed legislation. However, the Democrats are also at fault.
The timing and execution of this legislation was not right at all. Democrats, worried that they will lose seats in the Senate in November, tried to rush the bill through after the House of Representatives passed it, limiting discussion and debate.
Republicans did not take well to the rushed pace, especially considering the military is still researching the effects that the policy change would have. Additionally, Democrats included other unrelated legislation in the bill, weakening the party's chances to pass as a single "repeal don't ask, don't tell" issue.
While campaigning for the presidency, Obama promised that he would repeal the policy. That prospect is looking increasingly unlikely, especially if the GOP does win the Senate seats it is hoping for in November.
Obama would have done better to push this issue a year ago when his approval rating was much higher. Also, he would have been more likely to get Republicans to cross over the line back then. With it now election season, politicians are very wary of voting for anything that might lose them votes.
Two Senate Democrats even voted against the "don't ask, don't tell" bill, illustrating that phenomenon.
This issue has become too political. It should be simple and straightforward: homosexuals should be allowed to serve the country they love without fear of being ostracized or having to pose as somebody they are not.
As time passed, the politicians and anti-gay groups that were opposed to repealing the policy had more opportunities to twist public opinion around and make the issue larger than it really is. That is why Obama and his Democrats should have gotten started on this earlier.
In a past speech, Obama attacked Washington politicians for acting as if every day was Election Day. The desperate efforts of the Democrats to rush this bill through the Senate in order to appease their voting bases seem to highlight exactly what he was talking about.
