Log Cabin leader meeting with GOP congressmen, fighting for DADT repeal
Wed. November 10, 2010 10:15 AM by GoPride.com News Staff
Washington, D.C. -
The new president of the gay Log Cabin Republicans, R. Clarke Cooper, is finding open doors in the halls of Congress as his group tries a two-pronged approach to get "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" thrown out.
Cooper is trying to build Senate support for repeal ahead of the Pentagon's Dec. 1 report. His group is also leading the lawsuit, in case Congress chickens out.
The Washington Post reports that Cooper has a long history with Republicans; he worked with Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and President George W. Bush. He's an Army reserve captain and has served in Iraq. He's also worked at the State Department.
His resume means that unlike the treatment his Log Cabin predecessor got on Capitol Hill, Cooper finds that he's always able to get a meeting. Cooper said that's because he's not in it for the melodrama.
"We're not looking to do political theater, we're looking to get results," he told the Washington Post.
The future for DADT is unclear. Congress is going into a brief lame-duck session with a lot of other important work on the table. Currently, a Supreme Court justice is considering whether to stop the military from enforcing it.
Cooper is trying to build Senate support for repeal ahead of the Pentagon's Dec. 1 report. His group is also leading the lawsuit, in case Congress chickens out.
The Washington Post reports that Cooper has a long history with Republicans; he worked with Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and President George W. Bush. He's an Army reserve captain and has served in Iraq. He's also worked at the State Department.
His resume means that unlike the treatment his Log Cabin predecessor got on Capitol Hill, Cooper finds that he's always able to get a meeting. Cooper said that's because he's not in it for the melodrama.
"We're not looking to do political theater, we're looking to get results," he told the Washington Post.
The future for DADT is unclear. Congress is going into a brief lame-duck session with a lot of other important work on the table. Currently, a Supreme Court justice is considering whether to stop the military from enforcing it.