The former White House speechwriter notes:
The lead of my December 10 Wall Street Journal column:
As President Obama and his speechwriters prepare for his upcoming State of the Union address, here’s a modest suggestion:
When you take the victory lap you are entitled to for ending the prohibition on gays serving openly in the military, follow up with a call to end the remaining discrimination faced by members of our military—the second-class status of Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) cadets on some of our leading college campuses.
President Obama’s State of the Union last night:
Our troops come from every corner of this country -– they’re black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American. They are Christian and Hindu, Jewish and Muslim. And, yes, we know that some of them are gay. Starting this year, no American will be forbidden from serving the country they love because of who they love. (Applause.) And with that change, I call on all our college campuses to open their doors to our military recruiters and ROTC. It is time to leave behind the divisive battles of the past. It is time to move forward as one nation. (Applause.)
Bill further comments though:
I think next time I’m going to suggest that the President read “Free to Choose” by Milton Friedman and take his ideas from that before the next SOTU.