Thank you New York Times news alerts. Without them, I don't really know how I'd find out about things like this (granted, this information is incredibly easy to find, I just like checking my email and not having to search for news much farther beyond that): Today in Washington, the Senate allowed for advances of the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." They voted 63 to 33 -- that means that six Republicans voted with the Democrats. There was a huge desire for some action to be made on this issue, since the 111th Congress is coming to a close, and next Congress will be Republican-ruled in the House (the repeal of DADT had already passed in the House.) And Republicans had been filibustering the repeal for so long that it appeared as if this bill would die, just like the Dream Act (which just failed after a 55-41 vote, 5 short of the votes needed to bring debate to the Senate floor...the Dream Act would grant legal status to the illegal immigrant students. Cloture couldn't be reached, so Senators Joe Lieberman and Susan Collins -- an independent and a Republican, respectively -- asked for Democratic leaders to try instead to vote on a repeal of the ban.
The Senate still has to vote again to approve this repeal and then send it to the President, as it is with bills, and if passed it will go into effect after sixty days. Lieberman said that forcing troops to lie, which is what the military has been doing, undermines its integrity. Senator Saxby Chambliss of Georgia said that this is not something to be done during military conflict, but I don't really know anyone who respects the opinion of someone named "Saxby Chambliss." It sounds like a Costco boxed wine. Senator Inhofe, another Republican, but from the OK, basically said that if the system isn't broke, why fix it? But it is kind of broke when a simple civil right like this -- the right to serve your country -- isn't afforded to a whole group of people. And the Defense Secretary issued a report, along with military leaders, that this repeal should either have a positive effect or no effect at all on military morale/action. Senator Wyden, D-Oregon, said that "I don't care who you love. If you love this country enough to risk your life for it, you shouldn't have to hid who you are." (Thank you NYT for gathering all these quotes already.)
The idea for this bill has been around since the days of Clinton, and it's fantastic that it is so close to being passed. As for the Dream Act: that's incredibly unfortunate. The filibuster just couldn't be voted down, and now children are forced to live in this country without being able to truly call it home. Oh well. The Senate can't be expected to promise the American dream to everyone, right? (Sarcasm. I think.)
BREAKING NEWS: Senate voted 65 to 31 to REPEAL DADT. Go Senate! Next stop: Executive office!
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