Lieberman Demands Senate Stay In Session Through The Holiday To Repeal DADT

[flpoljunkie]

Lieberman Demands Senate Stay In Session Through The Holiday To Repeal DADT

Despite comprehensive support to overturn the military’s DADT policy, Republican lawmakers have manufactured a catalogue of objections to its repeal. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) articulated the latest excuse yesterday on NBC’s Meet the Press, claiming other “controversial items” in the defense authorization bill — like expanding reproductive health services on military bases — prevent the Senate from having enough time to debate and “finish” the bill “before the end of next year.” Now, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) is calling the GOP’s bluff on process objections and demanding the Senate stay in session until the bill is passed because, as his spokewoman told The Hill, “wanting to go home is not an acceptable excuse”:

Lieberman, a key Senate proponent of repealing the military’s ban on openly gay or lesbian members, doesn’t want the chamber to adjourn until it’s acted on a defense authorization bill that contains a provision to do away with the policy.

“Senator Lieberman believes that there are at least 60 votes to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ this year, provided that leadership allows time for sufficient debate and amendments,” Lieberman spokeswoman Erika Masonhall said. “Wanting to go home is not an acceptable excuse for failing to pass a bill that provides essential support for our troops and veterans and failing to take action that the president, the secretary of Defense, and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff have called for.”

The senator also appeared to endorse Washington Post columnist Jonathan Capehart’s demand that the Senate stay in session in a tweet on Monday.

The Senate’s continued refusal to pass the defense bill this year marks the first time Congress failed to do so in 48 years. Such a miscarriage of responsibility would not only jeopardize a well-supported repeal of DADT, but vital support for servicemembers. But by forcing Repulbican lawmakers to stay through the holiday, the Wonk Room’s Igor Volsky notes that Democrats would send a clear message that says, “if you can’t compromise on a fair and reasonable time frame and insist on a completely open debate structure, then that’s what we’ll have 24 hours a day until the very day the new Congress is sworn in.”

http://thinkprogress.org/2010/12/06/lieberman-holiday-repeal-dadt/

[dave29]

1. k&r, even for Lieberman

This is the best thing he's done in a long while.

[vi5]

2. Some small token of redemption.....

I'll take anything on the side of right and justice, even from this clown.

[Mass]

3. delete

[disillusioned73]

4. Makes one wonder...

has the Prez finally pulled the payback card for not taking his Senate Leadership seat from him... hmmmm??

[Mass]

5. Give credit where credit is due. Lieberman has a lot of faults, but on this issue, he has been a

leader in the Senate.

[GSLevel9]

6. big time standing O...

it's Obama's final shot at a "real" reform.

[dragonlady]

12. As a young man Lieberman was involved in civil rights

He went to the South to work for voting rights. Somewhere along the line he got sidetracked, but he's on the right side again on this issue.

[young but wise]

7. Good for puppet mouth Lieberman.

[allmylove]

8. Yes

[jillan]

9. Wow! Wonder what his buddy, McCain, thinks about this :)

[AlinPA]

11. It is a puzzle why Lieberman would betray his partner in politics. McCain will put a stop to that.

[Clio the Leo]

10. And the fact that he's saying this is very bothersome...

..... he's worried it WONT be brought to the floor.

What's up Harry? What's the hold up?

[Mass]

13. If Collins and Brown are serious about repealing DADT, they should join Lieberman in asking

the Senate to stay in session until the bill is passed. Of course, I totally expect that they are playing the same game they were two months ago: "we against DADT, but the democrats are not nice with us".

[jenmito]

14. They BETTER get it done in the lame duck session. MSNBC just reported that

Gates said that although he WANTS it repealed in this session, he doesn't think it WILL be done. He apparently doesn't know how hard the Dems. and Lieberman are going to make sure it DOES happen, though.

[flpoljunkie]

16. Perhaps Gates heard about McConnell saying yesterday that he would be following McCain's lead.

McCain has vowed to block DADT from coming up for a vote--which would delay, but not stop the repeal of DADT. A senator can object, but that objection can be overcome just as in the case of Saturday's votes on the $250K and $500K tax cut thresholds. The vote was blocked; it delayed, but did not stop the vote.

[jenmito]

17. Yes, but I bet he didn't hear Lieberman or others on the other side...

let alone people like Dick Durbin who is talking about it right now on the floor of the Senate.

[geek tragedy]

15. Lieberman is acting . . . partisan. nt