Senate to Take Up 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
Senate expected to lift ban on gays serving openly in the military.
Dec. 18, 2010— -- After several false starts the Senate is set Saturday to overturn the ban on gay men and women openly serving in the military.
A vote to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy is expected by noon today. At least 60 senators are expected to vote to pass the legislation, clearing a final, difficult and long-awaited hurdle in ending the Clinton-era ban.
The Senate vote is believed to be the last best chance of repeal before the Republicans take over the House next year.
The House Wednesday voted 250-175 in favor of the repeal, sending the bill to the Senate. Senate approval would send the bill to the president's desk.
Failure to repeal "don't ask, don't tell" seemed a foregone conclusion, when earlier this month Senate Republicans defeated a larger military spending bill, part of which included language to end the ban.
Since lawmakers drafted a bill just targeting the ban enough Republicans including Sen. Scott Brown, R- Mass., and Olympia Snowe, R- Maine, agreed to vote in favor of repeal, giving proponents the 60 votes needed.
The Democratic push for repeal was bolstered by a recent Pentagon study that found most troops believed ending the ban would not effect combat readiness. Two-thirds of troops said they did not expect things to change if the law was repealed.
