Although she didn’t have enough votes to introduce the DADT moratorium amendment, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s efforts have led to a commitment from the Senate Armed Services Committee to hold hearings on “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” this fall. It would be the first formal re-assessment of the policy since 1993, when it was passed into law. Aubrey Sarvis, executive director the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, an organization fighting for the end of DADT, [says] “Clearly one of the positive things that came out of the Gillibrand amendment was that it served as a catalyst for hearings,” he added. More from the Daily Beast’s Jason Bellini:
. . . Gay-rights leaders expressed high hopes that Senate hearings could bring reluctant legislators around.
No matter the outcome of Gillibrand’s hearings, the chances of DADT’s repeal look stronger in the House, where Iraq war veteran Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA) is taking the lead on a repeal bill called the Military Readiness Enhancement Act. Gay-rights lobbyists say he’s getting close to the 218 votes needed to pass the bill.
Momentum in Congress could help ease the pressure on the White House. []
30. December 2009 at 11:27 pm
Why are you running an ad for a Republican running against Harry Reid????????!!!!
31. December 2009 at 8:08 am
@ Peter,
Many of the ads that run on this site (and others) are placed based on content of the post so I’m not sure which ad you are referring to, but I will say this: In the past, NOM ran ads that were placed on AKA William, and I let them rub because, hey, if the wingnuts want to pay me to show off their crazy then I am more than happy to do so.