Lieberman, McCain Square Off Over Gay Policy

WASHINGTON-An emotionally- and politically-charged showdown is set to unfold in the Senate today over whether gays should be able to serve openly in the military.

Sen. Joseph Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut, will be defending his proposed repeal of the Pentagon's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, which bars gays from serving openly in the military.

His main opponent in the fight is Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., whom Lieberman endorsed for president in 2008, a move that fueled liberal distrust and dislike of Lieberman across the country.

Neither lawmaker would predict the outcome of this long-simmering issue. But the fate of the gays-in-the-military policy will be complicated by myriad other factors, including the short congressional calendar and a hot-button immigration proposal that Democrats hope to attach to the underlying defense bill.

Lieberman said it should be a straightforward debate, at least on his provision. "This is the frontier of the civil rights movement now, to protect people from discrimination based on their private sexual lives or orientation," Lieberman said.

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