Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Show the Protest

Ben Smith tells us the D.C. cops are acting odd today:

Police chased reporters away from the White House and closed Lafayette Park today in response to a gay rights protest in which several service members in full uniform handcuffed themselves to the White House gate to protest "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."


People who have covered the White House for years tell me that's an extremely unusual thing to do in an area that regularly features protests.


A reporter can be seen in the YouTube video calling the move "outrageous" and "ridiculous."

After last night's multiple interruptions of Obama's speech at a Barbara Boxer fundraiser it looks like the White House is feeling a little grumpy today. They're not used to people getting in the president's face, or creating public spectacles at the White House gates. They thought that all ended the day Bush left office.