With the Iowa Caucuses just two weeks away, GOP presidential hopefuls are hitting the campaign stops hard. At the end of a stop last night in the town of Decorah, Governor Rick Perry found himself confronted by a 14 year-old girl asking why the Texas governor was so opposed to gays serving in the military (a theme that was front and center in one of his recent campaign ads.) Perry handled the confrontational question calmly, but in a way that is unlikely to bridge the divide between his supporters and his detractors, particularly on the issue of tolerance of Gay Americans.

Yesterday, after the White House issued a memorandum pledging to “promote and protect the human rights of LGBT persons” abroad, Gov. Rick Perry hit back, helpfully reminding everyone that “special rights for gays in foreign countries is not in America’s interests and not worth a dime of taxpayers’ money.” Well, did you know that America is wasting its time helping gay people here at home as well? It’s doing so by helping gay people here help other people overseas all at the expense of our nation’s children.

Confused? Well, Perry explains it in a new ad released yesterday in which he informs voters that “there’s something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military but our kids can’t openly celebrate Christmas or pray in school.”

Earlier today President Obama celebrated signing into law the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” the policy that only allowed gays to serve in the military if they kept their sexuality a secret. While some conservatives think repeal means the country is “not taking the military seriously,” and other military leaders are confident the military can adapt and just happy to move on from it at least one Congressman, Todd Akin from Missouri, is still confused about what the original problem was and why social statements have taken priority over national defense.

On Fox News Channel‘s Red Eye, Ann Coulter unleashed a fury of controversial comments in response to the repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell military policy. However, whether one finds her thoughts offensive or funny depends entirely on one’s own view of Coulter’s role in political discourse. For those who take her every word seriously, you probably will be justified in being upset with her comments here.

There is a lot to see in this clip from The McLaughlin Group including a wildly colorful sports jacket worn by host John McLaughlin and an even more colorful commentary by conservative commentator Pat Buchanan as he established the arguments against repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell military policy. With most public figures championing repeal as a positive and historical civil rights moment, it’s at least interesting to hear Buchanan defend the opposing view so passionately.

Sean Bielat is the GOP candidate for Massachusetts’ 4th District, running against the legendary Barney Frank (D -MA). Perhaps because Frank is an openly gay member of Congress, the issue of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell has taken on added significance in this race. Today Mr. Bielat made absolutely clear where he stands on the controversial issue, though his choice of words may raise some eyebrows, as he compared not allowing gays to serve akin to the minimum height required by the armed services.

Last night word leaked from a Senate aide that a compromise had been reached between President Obama and Congressional Democrats that would allow gays to serve openly in the military. Dana Bash reported on CNN last night that while Senate Democrats are aggressively pushing for legislation this week, Defense Secretary Robert Gates wants time for the Pentagon to review.

What’s going on in the military bases in far away lands? A few weeks ago a YouTube video emerged of US soldiers stationed in Afghanistan sending up Lady Gaga‘s Telephone video. Well another new video has emerged, though this one is from the scorched earth of Iraq, and is a remake of Ke$ha’s “Blah Blah Blah” video, ostensibly made by self described “straight” soldiers.

While discussing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” with Sean Hannity, former Marine Corp officer and Fox News contributor Ollie North highlighted the weakness of his own argument by resorting to the same old tired bigotry, comparing homosexuality to organized pedophilia. In what he called a “stunning assault on the all-volunteer military” North slammed Obama for his attempt to allow gays to serve openly in the military, alleging, “Here’s what’s next: NAMBLA members, same-sex marriages,” seemingly unsure himself about the direction his case was headed.

Larry King hosted a military panel on his program last night to discuss the possible repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, which would have been a fairly routine discussion save not for the presence of Lt. Dan Choi, who came out as gay on The Rachel Maddow Show almost a year ago and is facing termination from his job despite being a West Point graduate, an Iraq War veteran, and an Arab linguist.

On the Sunday edition of CNN’s State of the Union, host John King recalled one of President Obama‘s most overlooked campaign promises: repealing the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy of homosexuality in the military. But despite a seismic shift in cultural opinion, especially in popular media, the administration is still asking for patience.