Peter Beinart, smart but wrong...

In a very smart column, urging Howard Dean to pursue the military vote for Democrat office-seekers, Peter Beinart, editor of The New Republic, writes:

"Democrats should acknowledge that at times the left's understandable anger over Vietnam degenerated into a lack of respect for the military. And they should make amends in very practical ways -- most significantly, as the Progressive Policy Institute's Will Marshall has pointed out, by shaming America's colleges and law schools into letting the military recruit on campus. Liberal students, faculty and administrators have the right to criticize the Pentagon's discriminatory policies toward gays and lesbians. But it is outrageous for them to treat the U.S. military -- especially in a time of war -- as a pariah."

I can't stress this enough -- Democrats can't compromise on civil rights issues and they can't condone bigotry in any form. To do so, even if it is politically expedient now, will only cause shame and embarassment later on. Sometimes, you have to endure tough consequences to do the right thing. If a private company declared publicly that it would not hire gays and lesbians, and made a real issue out of it, the way the military does, then I dare say that most Univerisites would NOT allow them to recruit on their campuses.

Beinart brings up the "especially in a time of war" issue. Well, especially in a time of war, the military probably shouldn't be disqualifying potential recruits based on who they sleep with.