WaPo - Greg Sargent - DADT Repeal - Major Props To Reid And President Obama!

[TomCADem]

It turns out that the Pentagon study was instrumental in taking away any pretext for Senators not to vote for repeal, so kudos to Congressional Democrats and the White House for developing a strategy resulting in a hard fought win for progressives.

I know some folks will continue to give Republicans a free pass for their opposition, but hopefully folks will homd them accountable for their efforts to stop the repeal of DADT.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/12/dadt_repeal_passes_key_vote.html

In a historic victory for the military, the Senate Dem leadership, the White House, and the civil rights of embattled gay and lesbian service-members -- and in a massive rebuke to John McCain, Mitch McConnell and the GOP Senate minority's efforts to maintain legalized discrimination in defiance of common sense and decency -- the Senate just cast a key vote in favor of the stand-alone bill to repeal don't ask don't tell.

Seventeen years after DADT passed into law, the vote all but ensures that its repeal will become a reality before the end of the year. The vote passed by 63-33, with moderate GOPers like Scott Brown, Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, and Olympia Snowe voting Yes.

First of all, major props are due to Joe Lieberman, Harry Reid, President Obama, gay rights groups, and pro-repeal bloggers and commentators, all of whom played different but interlocking roles to make this happen.

* * *
Finally, the White House. Obama had been criticized for months on don't ask don't tell, with advocates complaining that his administration aggressively defended DADT in court and that he wasn't doing enough to rally the Senate to pass repeal. But the botton line is that the White House did everything possible to create the political climate necessary to make this happen. The Pentagon report and the testimony by Robert Gates -- and his public round of interviews calling on Congress to pass repeal for the good of the military -- were major game-changers.

[MBS]

1. Yeah, that bold-faced excerpt is very, very important.

This really did take a lot of backstage work and good strategic thinking to make this happen, and the Obama administration plus all the other parties mentioned) really do deserve credit (and thanks!)

[TomCADem]

3. Repeal Is Much Stronger Than An Executive Order and The Much Maligned Pentagon Study

Turned out to be instrumental in calling out the bigotry of members of Congress who claimed that DADT was necessary to preserve combat effectiveness.

[Bluebear]

2. Obama had NOTHING to do with it. Only CONGRESS can pass a law!!!!!!

God knows we have been lectured about that for two years here.

[Pisces]

4. Go be blue and act bearish somewhere else today. We are celebrating!!

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[t0dd]

6. What a clever reply.

[Bluebear]

10. Weak.

[CatWoman]

7. you fucking kill me

:loveya:

:hi:

[Bluebear]

8. My love....

Good to see you...happiest of holidays to you! XOXOXOXOX

[Tatiana]

9. I'm actually inclined to give credit to Joe Lieberman, who actually delivered votes and

Lisa Murkowski... who I thought would flake out, but clearly has demonstrated a bit of an independent streak. Snowe and Collins actually did the right thing this time.

[TomCADem]

11. The Odd Thing Then, Is That This Takes Liberal Democrats and The President For Granted

...and only gives credit to folks who acted somewhat out of character by voting for the repeal of DADT.

Frankly, I think it is a mistake to take such votes and seats for granted.