With a few votes to spare, the Senate this morning passed the procedural hurdle — voting for cloture — on the standalone Don't Ask Don't Tell repeal bill. The full Senate will now vote, without risk of filibuster. From there, it's sent to the president's desk in time for a pre-Christmas signature. Keep in mind, kids: Signing the bill does not repeal the law. Military brass must "certify" the armed forces are ready for gay troops to serve openly, and there is no set timeline for them to do so. Repealing DADT, once Obama signs off on it, is then in the hands of Sec. Gates. So keep your sexuality to yourselves for the time being. But ya know what this means? According to Andrew Sullivan's timeline, Joe Solmonese gets to keep his job. And isn't that what everyone wanted Santa to give them this year? UPDATE: And it's off to the president. Around 3:30pm EST, the Senate wrapped it up with a 65-31 vote to pass the bill.
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Tagged: Barack Obama, DADT, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, Harry Reid, Joe Lieberman, Joe Manchin, John McCain, Log Cabin Republicans, Military, Senate
