That's the title of this article by David Paul Kuhn over at Real Clear Politics, where he notes this, on the subject of Don't Ask Don't Tell, a policy with which I have taken plenty of issue just this year alone (emphasis and edits mine):

During the campaign, Obama pledged to... push for the reversal of the prohibition against gays serving openly in the military, as well as overturning the Defense of Marriage Act. DOMA prohibited federal recognition of same-sex marriages and codified states' rights to also deny gay unions legal in other states. About a half year into his presidency, none of those pledges have been fulfilled.

"The amount of stuff on the president's plate is stacked higher than anyone could have imagined last fall," said one lesbian and gay rights leader privy to White House strategy on gay rights issues. "But," the leader added, "on the other hand, the landscape, like in Iowa and Maine, has shifted faster than anyone had expected. There is a lot of pressure to do what's right--right now."

[...]

A Gallup Poll last week underscored the change in Americans' attitude on gay rights. Three of the voting blocs coolest on gay rights are conservatives, Republicans and weekly churchgoers. About six in 10 of all three blocs now back allowing gays and lesbians to openly serve in the military. That marks a more than double-digit shift against the "don't ask, don't tell" on the political right in the past five years.

In 1993, Bill Clinton backed "don't ask, don't tell" in a controversial compromise. Since the policy went into effect, about 13,000 men and women have been discharged from the armed forces--a trend that has continued under Obama's watch....

I am planning to write a post later this weekend outlining some of the thoughts I've had about Scotland, Scottish heritage and Scottishness, post-return, but for now, given the lack of writing and fresh content I've been publishing here, I give you these images, together with some commentary.  There is much more below the fold, I should mention...

Around Loch Lomond

Loch Lomond is a short drive out of Glasgow (where we started our trip, and the general area around which both part of my, and my husband's, family are from).  It's beautiful, as is the surrounding forest.

Glencoe

Glencoe is principally known for having played host to a rather infamous and brutal massacre perpetrated against the MacDonalds of Glencoe in 1692.  People say the glen still evokes a real eeriness... it certainly did on this day-- no one was around, and there was lots of low cloud.  The glen is now home to major conservation efforts. [intro]

Those who read this blog and who follow me on Twitter may know I have been out of the country recently, having traveled back to Scotland for a much-needed holiday on May 22.

That same day, Michael Calderone at Politico penned this piece, which kindly mentions and quotes me. So, this is belated thanks... and shameless self-promotion. Here's the relevant excerpt:

While The Huffington Post and GOP leadership make strange bedfellows, it’s not the first time Republicans have worked closely with top liberal bloggers when both interests could be served.

Liz Mair, the RNC’s online communications director through 2008, said in an e-mail that she aggressively reached out to liberal news sites, including The Huffington Post and Talking Points Memo.

“While I certainly never expected left-of-center sites to echo our message,” Mair wrote, “giving them access to information or background they needed to report accurately (if not favorably) was certainly something I thought of (and think of) as useful, given that their audience is not solely comprised of Democratic activists, and given that storylines that begin on left-of-center blogs frequently find their way onto the nightly news and into other outlets where a lot of swing voters get their information.” ...