Moratorium Time

Jim Moran is right to go on offense about this nonsense:

The Army fired 11 soldiers in January for violating the military's policy that gay service members must keep their sexuality hidden, according to a Virginia congressman. Democratic Rep. Jim Moran said he has requested monthly updates from the Pentagon on the impact of the policy until it is repealed.

In a statement released on Thursday, Moran said the discharged soldiers included an intelligence collector, a military police officer, four infantry personnel, a health care specialist, a motor-transport operator and a water-treatment specialist.

"How many more good soldiers are we willing to lose due to a bad policy that makes us less safe and secure?" asked Moran, a member of the House panel that oversees military spending.

The President says he supports repeal of DADT. He says he's undergoing a policy review with Pentagon officials to get the best outcome. Well, how about a moratorium on discharges like this until that policy is set? Everyone agrees the current policy is wrongheaded, and we can't afford to lose more good soldiers at this time. Why are we still firing people for who they are?

...for that matter, gay couples should get spousal benefits. The governor of freakin' UTAH agrees with this. It's uncontroversial, and it's the fallback position for Republicans who don't support gay marriage but don't want to look like bigots. Why not do the right thing, Mr. President?