On the heels of Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the Pentagon calling for a repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) told MSNBC today that he’s “convinced” the Senate has more than the 60 votes required to get it done — provided they have enough time to debate the bill.
“I’m convinced that we have more than the necessary 60 votes to take this Defense Authorization bill, which we have to pass to do right by our soldiers … the only question is whether the leadership will give us enough time to do that,” Lieberman said. “It’s the right thing to do for our values and it’s the right thing to do for the military, because the military needs the skills and courage that gay and lesbian Americans bring to our services every day.”
The Senate failed to bring the bill to a vote in September, with Republicans claiming they voted it down because Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) would not allow any amendments to be included. But Reid is expected to allow votes on amendments in the next round.
Read our full coverage of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell here.
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David Taintor
David Taintor is TPM’s News Editor. He contributes to TPM’s Livewire coverage, among other areas. David is from Chanhassen, Minnesota, where, yes, it gets very cold. Reach him at taintor [at] talkingpointsmemo.com
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