Pass the Buck

I was saddened that the White House again this week invoked its pass-the-buck strategy on "don't ask, don't tell."

Here's a quote from an August 3 Washington Post story: "A White House spokesman said that the president continues to support repeal but that the lead needs to come from Congress. 'The president has said he thinks it should be done legislatively,' Tommy Vietor said."

And here's Congressional Quarterly reporter Josh Rogin in a July 20 piece in CQ Weekly: "There is a circular quality to the current state of the Don't Ask debate. Congress blames the administration for failing to move quickly to reverse the policy. In turn, the administration insists the change must go through legislative channels. And each branch says it wants to wait on definitive recommendations from the military. All sides have their reasons for wanting a delay."

This game could go on for a long time.