Promise kept: DADT repealed

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Today was a major victory for the Obama Administration on which much political capital has been expended: the Senate gave final approval to the (conditional) repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT). Institutional discrimination against men and women proudly serving their country in the U.S. Armed Forces who happen to be gay will come to an end. This is a major civil rights victory for equality. Senate Repeals Don't Ask, Don't Tell:

By a vote of 65 to 31 this afternoon, the Senate voted to repeal the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. Republican Senators Scott Brown, Richard Burr, Susan Collins, John Ensign, Mark Kirk, Lisa Murkowski, Olympia Snowe and George Voinovich joined Democrats in the final vote to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Burr and Ensign did not vote with the Democrats earlier in the day when the GOP filibuster was broken, but signed on for the final vote.

Special praise is due to Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA), who managed DADT repeal in the House, and to Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), who managed DADT repeal in the Senate. Praise is also due to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for their strategic and tactical leadership. And praise is due to many unknown staffers in the House and Senate who worked diligently behind the scenes.

It is not often that I have praise for Joe Lieberman, but I will give the man credit where credit is due. The leadership we saw demonstrated by Joe Lieberman on this issue is the leadership (sic) we were told by the McMedia to expect from Sen. John McCain on this issue. (It makes it all the sweeter that Joe Lieberman is John McCain's BFF.)

Instead, John McCain's homophobic demagoguery on this issue was so shockingly offensive, I believe it shocked the conscience and convinced eight Republicans to vote for DADT repeal. We have seen this happen before during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s when the brutality of segregationists shocked the conscience of the nation and provided the necessary impetus in the U.S. Senate to break the filibuster and to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964. John McCain's shockingly offensive conduct will be his shameful legacy.

What happens next: Obama has promised to sign the bill next week, making repeal a true legal reality. Senate Repeals Don't Ask, Don't Tell:

Then the Pentagon, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Obama must work out an implementation plan and officially certify that the military is ready to allow its gay and lesbian servicemembers to come out of the closet. Sixty days after that, DADT is "officially" repealed. Such is the language of the bill the Senate passed today and the House passed earlier in the week.

But repeal could effectively be in place far earlier than that. Following the cloture vote today, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called on the Pentagon to suspend all DADT discharges and investigations immediately, something gay rights advocates say Defense Secretary Robert Gates can order whenever he wants.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals is also likely to ask for additional briefing by the parties in Log Cabin Republicans v. United States. The U.S. Department of Justice will review whether to dismiss this appeal in light of congressional action, and to seek modification of the district court's order in conformity with the congressional act.

President Obama is now empowered to issue executive orders to carry out the congressional act as commander-in-chief.

I would be surprised if this process is not finally complete in just a few months time.

Check out this video of Democrats and gay rights activists speaking after breaking the Republican filibuster earlier today:

Thanks to everyone involved in this long civil rights struggle.