Year review on DADT just coverage for a repeal?

Nancy Youssef ponders how the yearlong review of 'Don't ask don't tell' squares with a service that feels the policy change is a lock. MIght the review supposed to serve the purpose of buying time for Congress to craft a repeal?

On Thursday, the New York Times ran a piece quoting John McHugh, the secretary of the Army, as saying that he no longer implements Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. He said he had decided to ignore the law in light of the Obama administration’s call to repeal the law. Then the firestorm began. How does the military apply the law? And what about the other services? In response, the secretary issued a lengthy clarification that I have included below. But really, the whole issue raises bigger questions. The military is essentially trying to bypass a reluctant Congress and make changes to the law Congress itself repeals the law. Last week, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced more stringent requirements to kick someone out of the military under Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, all while there is a year-long study of the issue under way. All of this has led to a flurry of confusion. And for me, it raises questions about how effective a year-long review can really be. If service members feel the change in inevitable, will the review lead to an honest assessment of how the military can repeal the law or is the change in the law already under way? If so, the review may become a means to buy time while Congress considers a repeal.

That seems unlikely, but the review is still a curious exercise. Who's being placated by this year study? I'm interested to see how this "study" is conducted.