Why oh why do basic equal rights efforts have to move at such a snail’s pace (rhetorical)?

America’s colors: Red tape, white, and blue.

Via Stars and Stripes:

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Robert Gates is unlikely to certify repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” before leaving office next week, senior defense and military officials said.

Two weeks ago, Gates said that he would finalize the repeal of the 18-year-old ban on openly gay troops if the service chiefs give him their OK before he retires on June 30. And in a message to commanders earlier this month, Army leaders said assessments on the progress and impact of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” repeal training — underway since February — are due this Friday, leaving open a slim possibility that certification could come before Gates steps down. [...]

New Defense Secretary, former CIA director, Leon Panetta, is for the repeal, but at his confirmation hearing he wouldn’t say when he thought it would be finalized.