Marine Commandant Appears to Resist White House on Gay Ban

Challenge Could Raise Questions of Civilian Control of Military

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Nov. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Marine Corps
Commandant General James Conway is opposing President Obama's pledge to repeal
"don't ask, don't tell," the Washington Times is reporting today. Citing a
former senior Pentagon official, the Times says that General Conway, "has
emerged in internal Pentagon deliberations as the most outspoken opponent of
permitting gay men and women to serve openly in the U.S. military." According
to the Times, the official "has been privy to private conversations on the
matter," and says that "Conway has gone further than others in stating his
opposition to a change in policy."

The Times asked General Conway to comment, and his spokesman, Major David
Nevers, responded with the following statement: "Our Marines are currently
engaged in two fights, and our focus should not be drawn away from those
priorities. When the time is right, we have full confidence that we will be
asked to provide the best military advice concerning the readiness of the
Corps as it relates to this issue."

According to Aaron Belkin, Director of the Palm Center, General Conway's
apparent comments may foreshadow arguments that will be emphasized in
Congressional hearings, namely that wars in Iraq and Afghanistan preclude the
military from focusing on repeal. "It does appear that these comments are a
warning shot to proponents, including the White House," said Belkin.

Others expressed concern that Conway's opposition could raise thorny questions
of civilian control over the military. "The President has declared which way
policy is heading," said Professor Diane Mazur.
"There is no faster way for a Commander-in-Chief to lose the respect of those
serving under him than to allow his Service Chiefs to march in an opposite
direction." Mazur is Professor of Law and the University of Florida and an
expert on civil-military relations

According to Colonel Dick Klass (USAF, ret.), similar issues emerged sixteen
years ago when former President Bill Clinton tried to repeal the gay ban.
"Clinton's mistake was to call the Chiefs into the Oval Office and ask them
what they thought about gays in the military," said Klass. "What Clinton
should have done, and what Obama should do, is call the Chiefs in, explain
that repealing the ban is a matter of national security, and tell them that if
they are uncomfortable with that, they should resign."

The Palm Center is a think tank at the University of California, Santa
Barbara. Since 1998, the Center has been a leader in commissioning and
disseminating research in the areas of gender, sexuality, and the military.
For more information visit www.palmcenter.ucsb.edu.

Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click
appropriate link.

Aaron Belkin
https://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=90488

Nathaniel Frank
https://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=85094

SOURCE The Palm Center

Indra Lusero of the Palm Center, +1-303-902-9402, lusero@palmcenter.ucsb.edu