Lisa Murkowski will support repeal of the military’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy and specifically, the standalone bill that executes the legislative repeal, according to her spokesman. Murkowski’s spokesman specifically references the passage of the tax cut bill and the “glide path” to funding the government as clearing the way for support.

“Sen. Murkowski will support a stand-alone repeal of the DADT law,” said Murkowski spokesman Michael Brumas. “With the tax package out of the way, and legislation to fund the government on a glide path to passage, Sen. Murkowski will vote to move to DADT when it is brought to the floor.”

I’m not so sure about that glide path, with Jim DeMint forcing a showdown and trying to “run out the clock” on the bill. If he does force a reading of the 1,900-page bill, then the government funding stream will surely run out, and the bulk of the rest of the time in the lame duck will be spent attending to that. You can actually see the reading of that bill as more about derailing the REST of the Senate agenda in the lame duck, not necessarily the spending bill.

Nevertheless, it’s clear that 60 votes exist for repeal at this moment. Scott Brown also supports the standalone repeal bill, so with him, Murkowski, Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, that’s 61 confirmed votes in support, with Dick Lugar likely to be #62.

Again, the votes for cloture exist. It’s just a matter of finding the time on the Senate calendar, where DADT repeal competes with the START treaty and a host of other bills. The wrangling over the omnibus or some other government funding measure will loom large as well.