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Pentagon IG Report on Gay Leak Names Obama Campaign Manager Jim Messina

By on 6.28.11 @ 2:23PM

A 30-page report from the inspector general for the Department of Defense names President Obama’s re-election campaign manager as one of the White House officials briefed on a confidential Pentagon task force survey about repealing the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy, the day before a Washington Post story leaked a misleading description of the survey results.

Jim Messina, then the president’s deputy chief of staff, was one of five Obama administration staffers who attended a Nov. 9, 2010, meeting at the White House where two Pentagon officials discussed a draft report of the Comprehensive Review Working Group (CRWG) study on DADT. A version of the report’s results was included in a Nov. 11 Washington Post story (which first appeared on the Post’s Web site at 9:50 p.m. on Nov. 10) with the headline: “Sources: Pentagon group finds there is minimal risk to lifting gay ban during war.”

In fact, the CRWG survey of military personnel found that 29.7% of respondents believed there would be a negative impact to repealing the prohibition on open homosexuals in the service, compared to 18.4% who believed it would have a positive impact. Another 32.1% of respondents believed repealing DADT would have a “mixed” impact, while 19.9% said it would have “no impact.”

The Post story described the report’s result: “More than 70 percent of respondents … said the effect of repealing the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy would be positive, mixed or nonexistent, said two sources familiar with the document.”

The Pentagon inspector general’s report concluded that “the source carefully disclosed specific survey data [to reporters] to support a pro-repeal agenda,” and added: “We consider it likely that the primary source disclosed content from the draft [CRWG] Report prior to its release to gain momentum in support of a legislative change during the ‘lame duck’ session of Congress following the November 2, 2010, elections.”

Congress, still under Democrat control during the lame-duck session, approved the repeal legislation which Obama signed into law Dec. 22. The Pentagon IG’s report on the leak, prepared in April, was recently obtained by the Center for Military Readiness (CMR), which opposed repeal of the DADT policy that had been implemented by President Clinton in 1993.

The IG report shows that the Pentagon study “was a publicly-funded, pre-scripted production put on just for show,” Elaine Donnelly of the CMR said in a statement, adding: “The purpose of the contrived CRWG process was to neutralize military opposition to repeal of the law by manufacturing an illusion of support. The administration misused military personnel, resources, and facilities to help President Obama to deliver on political promises to gay activists at the expense of unknowing troops who became props in the pro-repeal campaign.”

Frank Gaffney of the conservative Center for Security Policy, called the inspector general’s report a “smoking gun” explaining how Democrats pushed through DADT repeal during the lame-duck session “with scarcely any hearings and extremely limited opportunity for debate.”

Messina, known as a “fixer” for the Obama administration, was praised as “unquestionably one of the great unsung heroes of DADT repeal” by Joe Solomonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, a leading gay-rights group.  According to an article in the liberal magazine The Nation, Messina and Solomonese “stood side by side on the Senate floor as the bill cleared the body on December 18. When the sixtieth vote came in, Solmonese said, Messina began to cry. After it was all over, Messina touted repeal as a major victory for the administration and an example of Obama’s commitment to his base.”

Messina, a former top aide to Montana Democrat Sen. Max Baucus, served as chief of staff on Obama’s 2008 campaign and was announced in January as campaign manager for the president’s 2012 re-election effort.

View all comments (23) |

Mike 3/505| 6.28.11 @ 3:46PM

I am glad to see the IG (beleatedly) recognize what all of us who serve, knew at the start...this so-called survey was just a way to "game" a foregone conclusion. It is tragic that my brother and sister warriors are being put at risk over a mental/physical disorder masquerading as a civil rights issue.

Regards,

COL M

Elaine Donnelly | 6.28.11 @ 4:18PM

Hi Stacy,

Thanks for picking up on the story. Members of Congress should expand the investigation and have hearings, but first tell President Obama that "certification" of the repeal will not be tolerated by members of the military who were misused during this pre-scripted process.
All the best,
Elaine

Handy| 6.29.11 @ 12:54AM

Bless you Elaine, for all you do.

You are one of about dozen or so in the whole wide world who tells the truth about the military. It ain't for weaklings, wimps, or poofs.

I hope that young, normal, service members will not give up their careers over this. It's a passing fancy. Serious leadership is required to convince them to stay in for the long haul.

Real queers wil not re-up, even if they last their first stint. Too much work. In mud. Yuckaroo. Ewww. "Guns are too loud. Where is the brie? I thought the guys would be prettier and not smell so bad. This Army gig sucks. Well, I could probably live with it if I could get some action."

Just what we need.

Ned_Flaherty| 6.28.11 @ 4:47PM

Today’s “news” story is slanted, artificial journalism at its very worst. The story repeats much, but reveals nothing new or conclusive. The DoD Inspector General’s report identifies no culprit, but that didn’t stop Spectator from implying that there is one. And Center for Military Readiness spokeswoman Elaine Donnelly selected and misrepresented a few statistics so that she could falsely suggest that the DADT report excerpts which got leaked in advance differed from the full, final report. In fact, there is no discrepancy between the advance story in the news media and the complete report.

Moreover, since the DADT repeal law was passed last year, retention and recruiting efforts have met goals 100%, and no problems have been reported regarding morale, cohesion, readiness, or effectiveness. None of the Marines who one year ago threatened to resign ever did so. Most of the armed forces are already trained now, and the implementation went faster and smoother than the DoD report predicted.

So Ms. Donnelly’s aggravated fretting over imagined dire consequences is unnecessary, pointless, and irrelevant, as is Ms. Donnelly herself.

Handy| 6.29.11 @ 12:18AM

You are a queer and should open up your butt to all members of the military who want to use it. Right before we discharge them dishonorably.

Ted| 6.29.11 @ 8:36AM

Handy,

If you can not say something constructive on the issue, please be silent.

Ron Patrick| 6.29.11 @ 3:11AM

Ned,

There will be consequences. I have 24 years of service in the army, both enlisted and commissioned. This political nonsense imposed on us by far left zealots will cause all kinds of headaches in the military, and is nothing more than another push by the gay lobby to force everyone to not only tolerate but to consider "normal" the aberration of homosexuality.
How do commanders billet soldiers, now that we have to accept open homosexuals? Normal soldiers do not want to bunk or shower with homosexuals, period. Do we now have to billet all self-identified gay soldiers in one set of barracks? That is a nightmare waiting to happen. What does a commander do when a homosexual male makes a pass at a straight soldier, and the straight soldier punches the gay's lights out? What happens when a soldier is propositioned by his gay superior? Or, what happens when a soldier gets angry and decides to make a false accusation of homosexual harassment against a superior? Unit cohesion absolutely will degrade in this environment - but the lefties and pro-gay militants don't care about the fighting effectiveness of the military. All they really care about is forcing the rest of us to accept homosexual urges as equal to normal heterosexual behaviors.
As to your "retention and recruiting efforts have met goals 100%" claim - that always happens when the general economy is in the toilet and people turn to the military for a paycheck. And "no problems have been reported regarding morale, cohesion, readiness, or effectiveness...: comment - DADT was just lifted on 1 June. There hasn't been enough time for problems to arise. We haven't had the mandatory, "Gay sex is now to be considered normal" EO briefing baloney, as this unit is deployed and we have far more important things to worry about presently. However, I can tell you that when some pencil pushing PC mouthpiece does come around to tell us that the official party line is that homosexuality is normal, I have more than enough medical statistics and historical citations of the con jobs of the gay lobby to show the obvious abnormality of homosexual urges. Look up the history of the 1973 American Psychiatric Association convention in San Francisco to see how the gay lobby hijacked and manipulated the vote on removing homosexuality from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, and you will see that the gay lobby is inherently dishonest in their neverending quest to force everyone else to accept homosexuality as normal. This DADT leak is the standard disingenuousness of the left.
And before you throw out the "homophobe" labels, I am not calling for persecution of those afflicted with homosexual urges, any more than I would call for diabetics or alcoholics or bipolar individuals to be persecuted. But just as we disapprove of self-injurious behavior of alcoholics and smokers, we should disapprove of self-injurious and abnormal behaviors of homosexuals. I don't really care if 2 adult guys decide to engage in mutually consenting acts of perversion in the privacy of their own home, but I am not going to stand for being told I have to accept such behavior as "normal" when as a physician I know that it isn't.

buster| 6.29.11 @ 8:23AM

The repeal law has been passed, but not implemented, so claiming a lack of negative results from the policy change is premature. The DoD will not allow Service members to resign or ETS early if they disagree with the new policy, so citing a lack of resignations is a red herring. Current unemployment is at 9.1% and the Armed Forces are currently down sizing to reflect the slower OPTEMPO which has meant that we recruit and retain less personnel today, so all that shows is that the policy won't destroy recruiting, only degrade it.

buster| 6.29.11 @ 8:23AM

The repeal law has been passed, but not implemented, so claiming a lack of negative results from the policy change is premature. The DoD will not allow Service members to resign or ETS early if they disagree with the new policy, so citing a lack of resignations is a red herring. Current unemployment is at 9.1% and the Armed Forces are currently down sizing to reflect the slower OPTEMPO which has meant that we recruit and retain less personnel today, so all that shows is that the policy won't destroy recruiting, only degrade it.

Ted| 6.29.11 @ 8:34AM

"The DoD Inspector General’s report identifies no culprit, but that didn’t stop Spectator from implying that there is one."

There's no need to imply there's a culprit. Any honest person can see there was a culprit in the leak because no one outside a small group was supposed to have access to the information. The Washington Post got it from somewhere. It didn't get to their offices via ESP.

Conservative Bob| 6.28.11 @ 5:03PM

Activist much Ned... the military was not intended to be a test tube for social experiments.

It was intended to protect the country.

How exactly does repleal improve readiness?

Handy| 6.29.11 @ 1:07AM

Careful, Bob. Ned gets excited when you start talking about tubes. Stand back. Far, far back.

Derek Leaberry| 6.28.11 @ 5:24PM

Remember that Admiral Mullen, the Admiral from queer West Hollywood, was chosen by Obama for the very reason to wreck havoc on the military. Obama wants a wrecked military with low morale.

But don't expect conservatives to do anything about the Obamaized military once they get in power. There won't be any going back to the Reagan-Weinberger policy of proactively ousting homosexuals from the armed forces. There will be no attempt to end the political correctness that has spread like a cancer in the military. There will be no attempt to de-feminize the military or end affirmative action. Why? Because most conservatives not only don't know what to conserve they are cowards in the face of the left-wing mob.

Handy| 6.29.11 @ 12:29AM

Mullen is effete, isn't he? I bet he loved his turn in the barrel. What a wimp.

We need an authentic military. No gays, no women. Real soldiers only please. Let the gays and girls have an alternate military. They can do the laundry and the window treatments.

Pelligrino| 6.29.11 @ 12:32AM

Mr. Leaberry, sadly you are correct. Most people just don't get it. They see the military from afar and assume (blindly) that about 80-85% of what the military is doing on a daily basis is correct, upright, on target, and beneficial for the nation.

And that is pure malarkey.

We need someone to (like yesterday) roll back the role of women in our military -- bigtime -- end any openness for gays, remove all single parents from the ranks, stop the wanton use of quotas in promotions, reinstate HEAPS of vigor into all aspects of military training, and get back to battle-focus.

The goal: A warfighting machine capable of swifting deploying and winning always.

Years ago an astute sergeant quipped to me, "You know, the military is just probably the nation's largest social welfare program." He was right then. It has worsened since.

Handy| 6.29.11 @ 1:01AM

I wondered where you obtained all your common sense. I finally figured it out. You got it from that sergeant.

Derek Leaberry| 6.29.11 @ 9:36AM

I go to Roman Catholic Mass with a retired professor of the US Naval Academy in Annapolis. He tells me that the Naval Academy is now institutionally left-wing and politically correct. It is not a proper place to send a young man.

Ned_Flaherty| 6.29.11 @ 12:55PM

Ron Patrick claims 24 years of army service, but is unaware of military history and current conditions. Part of his ignorance stems from being one of the very last to take the training course on repealing the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy.

1. Patrick assumes — incorrectly — that the repeal of DADT was “imposed on us by far left zealots.” That’s untrue. It wasn’t. CNN, NBC, ABC, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Gallup, Pew, McClatchy, and Quinnipiac University confirmed that among the people who own, fund, and operate the armed forces — the American public — 80% want DADT repealed. Congress also wanted it repealed, and voted to do so last year. Most military personnel also want it repealed (“DADT Repeal Comprehensive Review & Findings,” DoD, 30 November 2010, 431 pages). And, of course, the 78,000 bisexuals, lesbians, and gays already serving in the U.S. armed forces today also want it repealed.

2. Patrick assumes — incorrectly — that homosexuality is an “aberration.” That’s untrue. It is not. All 5 sexual orientations (bisexual, lesbian, homosexual, heterosexual, asexual) are found with startling frequency throughout the plant, animal, and human kingdoms, throughout history. There are more bisexuals, lesbians, and gays than red-heads or Mormons, but only a bigot calls either of those groups an “aberration.”

3. Patrick admits he does not know how sleeping quarters are handled, and assumes — incorrectly — that separate barracks are required, but that’s only because he is ignorant of military history and latest policy. Millions of bisexuals, lesbians, and gays served in the military throughout the 20th/21st centuries, and they all showered, slept, and fought alongside everyone else. Nothing has changed, because nothing needs to.

4. Patrick assumes — incorrectly — that most soldiers “do not want to bunk or shower with homosexuals.” That’s untrue. All soldiers already shower, sleep, and fight next to homosexuals, all of them know it, and all are OK with it enough to continue doing it.

5. Patrick admits being completely unaware of the current military policies of respect and professionalism, and current regulations for behavior, intimidation, harassment, and assault. All policies and regulations remain in effect, except that now they apply equally, to all personnel, at all times, regardless of sexual orientation. This will be explained to Patrick when he gets trained.

6. Patrick assumes — incorrectly — that unit cohesion will suffer if armed forces personnel treat each other with fairness, equality, and justice. That’s untrue. Among the 41 other nations that already did this, including 96% of our NATO allies, no problems occurred. Among the responses from the 400,000 surveys sent out last year, 92% of recruits reported being perfectly OK serving with bisexuals, lesbians, and gays once they tried it and realized that it makes no difference after all. It’s true that 23% of U.S. Marines last year threatened to resign, but having gotten trained on what DADT repeal means, all of them changed their minds, and none were discharged.

7. Patrick assumes — incorrectly — that “DADT was just lifted on 1 June.” That’s untrue. Congress repealed DADT on 18 December 2010, President Obama enacted the law on 22 December 2010, DoD announced the new policy in a 7-page bulletin dated 28 January 2011, and hundreds of page of training materials were published back in February.

8. Patrick plans — mistakenly — to vigorously argue against repeal during his training class. If he does, he will be told that he is free to assume whatever he wishes, and to believe whatever he wishes, but that anyone unable or unwilling to follow orders has only 3 options: (1) get re-trained; (2) finish a counseling program; or (3) request discharge for Failure-to-Adapt.

9. Patrick claims to be a physician, yet he — incorrectly — labels bisexuals, lesbians, and gays as “abnormal, afflicted, ill, and perverted.” Those are the code words of the classic homophobe — a person with an irrational, debilitating fear that others’ sexual orientations might affect his own in ways that frighten him. Unlike the 5 sexual orientations (which are natural and normal), homophobia is, in fact, a bona fide, treatable illness; however, the military won’t have the patience to wait for Patrick’s recovery, and will most likely proceed to his speedy discharge.

10. Patrick admits being ignorant of the advances made in his medical profession in recent decades. But the attitudes Patrick still has were discredited decades ago, and are today considered forms of malpractice. He might be able to get updated into the 21st century with some refresher courses offered by the major medical organizations.

Ned_Flaherty| 6.29.11 @ 12:59PM

Anonymous “Conservative Bob” assumes — incorrectly — that repealing DADT is a “social experiment.”

That’s untrue. It is not.

Fairness, respect, dignity, and professionalism are not experiments. They are policies adopted by and encouraged in modern societies. Business, industry, government, non-profits, and universities began treating all personnel fairly decades ago, and have benefitted with better recruiting, morale, and retention.

Anonymous “Conservative Bob” admits he doesn’t know how repealing DADT improves military readiness.

Here’s how.

In 41 other nations, including 96% of NATO allies, the armed forces adopted open service for bisexuals, lesbians, and gays long ago, without any problem, and achieved better recruiting, retention, morale, unit cohesion, readiness, and effectiveness. Responses from the largest U.S. military survey ever conducted showed that:

■ 92% said their actual experience working with gay/lesbian co-workers in their unit was “very
good,” “good,” or “neither good nor poor.”
■ 92% of today’s 20-year-old recruits, as soon as they get to actually serve alongside fellow comrades who are gay, report that they’re OK with it.

Source: “DADT Repeal Comprehensive Review & Findings” (DoD, 30 November 2010, 431 pages).

All those who threatened to resign last year changed their minds after the DADT training course this year. Everyone who was recruited or commissioned since the law passed last year knows all about it, and is eager to serve in the new environment, which makes for better morale and cohesion overall.

Ned_Flaherty| 6.29.11 @ 1:01PM

Anonymous “Buster” assumes — incorrectly — that implementation didn’t start yet.

That’s untrue. It did.

DoD announced the new policy in a 7-page bulletin dated 28 January 2011, hundreds of page of training materials were published last winter, and most personnel are already re-trained on the repeal. In a few weeks it will be certified.

Anonymous “Buster” also assumes — incorrectly — that there has been no opportunity for negative reactions. That’s untrue. There’s been plenty of opportunity over the last half year, culminating in the training courses which were designed to identify, discuss, and resolve all issues. Whatever issues got raised also got resolved. Nothing’s outstanding now.

Anonymous “Buster” also is unaware that DoD discharges anyone who is unable to follow these new orders. It’s true that enlisted personnel can’t resign early simply because they don’t care for some particular rule, but there is a procedure to discharge every enlisted member or officer who can’t or won’t follow orders. Also, commissioned officers can request to resign at any time.

Sonny's Mom| 6.29.11 @ 6:06PM

Wonder why True Believer Ned Flaherty has so much down time? Obviously not a service member.

reXteryalizer | 8.6.11 @ 6:11AM

Oboma has NOT brought CHANGE, In fact ~~ THE ONLY real THING

needing CHANGE !

Was Barack Hussein Obama II.

Barack Hussein Obama II ( Who hates American Values )

Who who is A " SELF PROCLAIMED Enemy " ~ of responsible, Morally

Conscious HARD WORKING Americans.

oBOMAS supporters KNOW~ that Barack Hussein Obama II, WILL FORCE

YOU to paY THEM, out of your PockeT ....

This UN~CHANGABLE fraud, has done His VERY BEST to Inspire VIOLENCE.

THESE ARE OBAMAS OWN WORDS.. saying “Bring it on” To his supporters.

Oboma ~ Demands Saying “Get ready for hand-to-hand combat with your

fellow Americans”

– Obama has ALSO DECLARED to his Supporters

“I want all Americans to get in each others faces!–

Obama demands !

“You bring a knife to a fight pal, we’ll bring a gun” – Obama Cant wait to

get everybody involved in some kind OF CONFRONTATION of some sort....

THESE ARE OBAMAS OWN WORDS..

Obama has ALSO DECLARED "Republicans are our enemies"-

** Obama on ACORN Mobs: “I don’t want to quell anger. I think people are

right to be angry! I’m angry!”

ANGER VIOLENCE and more taxes..... THIS IS OBAMAS Change for america

/“Hit Back Twice As Hard”. He commands !

THESE ARE OBAMAS Very OWN

WORDS..

*Obama on the private sector: ~~ “We talk to these folks…~ / so I

know whose ass to KICK.“
OBOMA wants to KICK your ass /

Shouting THAT Republican victory would mean ~ “hand to hand

combat”

HE IS EXPECTING people to kill & BE VIOLENT / for their

immoral CAUSES

THIS IS WHAT HE LIVES FOR
THESE ARE OBAMAS OWN WORDS..
* Obama Tells democrats: “ I’m itching for a

fight.” !

PLEASE go to reXes NEW WebsiTe ~ ! Oboma *( Just like Adolf Hitler~~

In that oBOMA~~~ Demands ! -- [ THE FINAL SOLUTION -

~ For

Un~Wanted Children

Barak Obama A MURDERER .~Torturing UNWANTED babys on DEATH ROE


http://obomanationinfanticide......fault.aspx

OBAMA supports TAKING a little NEW BORN innocent child.. / BORN. ALIVE

~

sTabing it iN the head & SUCKs ITS BRAINS OUT.

He also demands, that a Child SURVIVING a FAILED ABORTION, Has no

RIGHT to Life or medical care.

More Blog Posts by Robert Stacy McCain

http://spectator.org/blog/2011/06/28/pentagon-ig-report-on-gay-leak

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