Senior Obama Advisor: D.O.J. REQUIRED To Defend “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

Valerie Jarrett, whom some now might say in the White House’s multi-faceted “good cop, bad cop” relationship with the gay and lesbian community is definitely the “bad cop,” this morning told CNN that, “Until Congress repeals [“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,”] the Justice Department is doing what it is required to do and that is, to defend the laws of the land.”

As Igor Volsky at Think Progress’ The Wonk Room reports in, “Valerie Jarrett: Those Who Oppose Appealing DADT Injunction Don’t ‘Actually Understand’ Process,” um, no.

“It’s not just those in the gay community that don’t “actually understand” the White House’s insistence on mischaracterizing its duty to defend existing laws. As Ted Olson — former Solicitor General under President George W. Bush — explains, “it happens every once in awhile at the federal level when the solicitor general, on behalf of the U.S., will confess error or decline to defend a law.” “I don’t know what is going through the [Obama] administration’s thought process on ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’” Olson said. “It would be appropriate for them to say ‘the law has been deemed unconstitutional, we are not going to seek further review of that.’”

“But the White House has refused to say if President Obama still believes that the law is constitutional — as he told Anderson Cooper earlier this year — and has shied away from issuing an executive order placing a moratorium on future discharges.”

As I’ve said before, President Obama absolutely, immediately, must tell the LGBT community exactly what his plans, positions and goals — short-term as well as long-term — are on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” We need step-by-step specifics. And while we’re at it, how about DOMA and ENDA?…