Crist now supports DADT repeal compromise

Charlie Crist, who previously opposed repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell when he was a Republican but has since been under pressure to take a stand on current repeal efforts, will now support the repeal compromise, his spokesperson confirms to me.

Until recently, Crist had been saying that the current policy works. But with the repeal compromise moving forward in Congress, both Republican Marco Rubio and Dem Kendrick Meek, each for their own reasons, have been pressuring Crist to take a stand on the compromise.

Now Crist is coming out for it. His spokesperson, Michelle Todd, emails a statement from him:

"Ultimately, as in all military matters I defer to the Pentagon and to the Generals and what the Senate is doing today is giving them the ultimate authority to do what is best for our military. So, I would be inclined to support the Senate's action on this."

Crist's claim that the measure gives "ultimate authority" to the commanders appears to be a reference to the fact that the compromise mandates that the Pentagon complete its study before repeal is implemented.

Nonetheless, Crist's support for the "Senate's action" is equivalent to support for repeal, because that's what the compromise does.

Crist's backing of repeal is a reflection of how much his political situation has shifted since being driven from the GOP: He now needs to compete with Meek for Dem votes, while simultaneously battling with Rubio for moderate Republicans. He needs support from both camps -- hence his backing of repeal, even as he hedges a bit by suggesting he's merely deferring to the commanders.

