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(Please see my latest on this, with the nature of the deal being discussed)
By the end of this week, we should know whether Congress will make a play to end the military’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy on gay service members, or whether they’ll allow continued discrimination in our nation’s armed forces. Aubrey Sarvis of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, the main advocates for repealing the policy, called it an “all hands on deck” moment. Adam Bink lays out the timeline:
On Thursday, the Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a vote on repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. The House is also expected to vote late this week. As I wrote last week, if we lose this vote, it will be a significant blow even if repeal passes in the House. Or, put another way, we simply cannot afford to lose this vote.
The House could end up with a full floor vote, but they are waiting for the Senate Armed Services Committee to take the lead. If they end up passing a defense authorization bill out of committee with repeal, the House will take it to the floor and try to insert it as an amendment. At last count, supporters needed three of these five votes on the Senate Armed Services Committee for passage: Robert Byrd, Bill Nelson, Evan Bayh, Jim Webb and Scott Brown. Ben Nelson is an announced No; Susan Collins is a Yes.
All of this attention from the LGBT community, which has led to a strained relationship with the White House, could be forcing the Administration in the direction of a deal. At least, that’s what Politico is reporting:
TALK UNDER WAY: Congressional leaders, gay rights advocates and Pentagon officials are meeting at the White House Monday morning to discuss an emerging deal on repealing the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban on gays in the military, sources say.
SLDN has been bombarding Congressional offices with calls today demanding repeal. So far, we know that Nancy Pelosi has been strongly behind the repeal effort, vowing to end the policy in this Congress. So all of this could be coming to a head today.
Stay tuned…
UPDATE: Democracy for America has added to this effort with a petition signed by 100,000 Americans, calling for repeal of DADT.
8 Comments
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It’s time. No more delay. I’m tired of the giving in to the ignorance and bigotry of the right.
Sounds like the White House has decided to jump to the head of the parade.
Or wrestle the controls of the locomotive leaving the station.
Pick your metaphor; I’d be careful, though, that once in charge the White House doesn’t suddenly find reason, likely from the five-sided building across the river, to slow things down again.
Let Congress decide, and Obama can then veto the bill if that is what Daddy Bob Gates wants him to do.
uh yep, Ms Spalding is on it:
link
Maybe POTUS could sign the order while accepting Gates resignation?
Thanks, David.
Strikes me as just a cynical ploy to get the gay veal pen in line and the GayTM open again. No deals on human rights!
Gibbs says he’ll ‘check’ to see who initiated the White House meeting today; do people just show up there spontaneously and get meetings now?
Hmmm, it turns out I’ve got quite the offer.
I’ve got a spare $10 laying around that I was going to use to purchase a lotto ticket. But we know the odds of that, right?
My neighbor has offered me his $1,000 to my $10 that DADT remains, it won’t get repealed.
Hmm, so spend $10 on a one in a gazillion chance of winning the lottery, or $10 to bet on DADT being repealed????
I’ll take the lottery ticket. Odds are better there.
Such a deal — no timeline, specifically disallowing anti-discrimination language, and allows the President, SecDef or JCS to unilaterally veto implementation indefinitely. With no ban or language restricting the discharging of servicemembers simply for being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered.
It’s the “Back to 1992 Act”.