Avoiding One Clinton Landmine

President Barack Obama, who during the campaign pledged to end the policy of don’t ask don’t tell, yesterday neatly avoided a political land mine that hamstrung President Bill Clinton’s first 100 days. Obama named Rep. John McHugh, a New York Republican, to be Secretary of the Army. The White House said the issue never came up in discussions between the two but underlined that both the President and McHugh are committed to changing the policy. Whatever the new guidelines for gays serving in the military end up being, they’ll be harder for the GOP to attack as they will now be drafted by one of their own.