Repeal of "DADT" Hits a Snag

WASHINGTON--Efforts to repeal the Pentagon's ban on homosexuals serving openly in the military hit a fresh Republican blockade in the Senate Thursday but proponents, including Sen. Joseph Lieberman, say they have a fall-back plan that could revive the bill before the end of the lame-duck session.

In a surprising and dramatic Senate vote, supporters of repealing the military ban, known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," fell three votes short of the 60 needed to overcome a threatened GOP filibuster. The final tally of 57-to-40 included only one Republican, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, voting in favor of taking up the bill.

The result thwarted action not only on repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," but also on a sweeping defense authorization bill. The repeal is included in that broader measure.

The timing of the vote, if not the outcome, took advocates by surprise, since Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut, and Collins were deep in negotiations with Senate Majority Harry Reid, D-Nev., on an agreement that they said would have almost certainly guaranteed several more GOP votes in favor of starting debate on the legislation.

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