Patterico applauds a prudent move, as do I.

Actually, I’m applauding the fact that he’s further antagonizing the left. But prudence, too!

Repealing the ban was an Obama campaign promise. However, Mr. Obama first wants to confer with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and his new political appointees at the Pentagon to reach a consensus and then present legislation to Congress, the advisers said.

“I think 2009 is about foundation building and reaching consensus,” said Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. The group supports military personnel targeted under the ban…

The incoming administration is well aware of how President Clinton botched the same issue 15 years ago. Shortly after taking office in 1993, the president ordered the Pentagon to rescind the regulation that excluded gays…

Ban proponents say removing the restriction would hurt recruiting by discouraging conservative, religiously oriented youths from signing up.

“It’s true that many in the military have looked the other way and served alongside people they know are into homosexuality,” Mr. Knight said. “But that is with the ban in place. Open acceptance would change the atmosphere entirely. If fraternization is a problem now between men and women, imagine the conflicts with openly gay officers who no longer have to be reticent.”

Isn’t the culture of the military going to encourage that reticence anyway? I’ve always thought that was a much greater deterrent to coming out than the feds’ policy. Exit question: How does this shake out vis-a-vis the economy? If the recession’s still in effect a year from now, does this push The One further away from tackling this issue, lest the subject imperil him with disgruntled centrists, or does it encourage him to embrace it as a way of trying to energize his base? Exit answer: Depends on how many concessions he’s made to the left by then.