United States Senate Fails Attempt To Repeal Archaic Military Ban On Openly Gay Men And Women Service Members; Obama Appointed Incoming Marine Leader Says Most Marines Oppose Lifting 17-Year Old Ban

According to the Washington Post, a vote failed to end debate of the annual defense budget and policy bill, the final tally 56-43, four shy of the needed 60. The Post reports that “the vote’s fate was sealed early Tuesday, when Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who supports repealing “don’t ask,” said she disagreed with Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid’s decision to restrict the number of amendments to the bill. ‘For the life of me, I do not understand why the majority leader does not bring this bill to the floor and allow free and open debate and amendments from both sides of the aisle,’ Collins told reporters. The Maine Republican would have voted with Democrats to end debate of the defense bill if Reid opened the bill up to other amendment, she said, adding: ‘If there’s an amendment that’s offered to strike ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ provisions from the bill, I’ll vote against that amendment and I’ll help lead the debate against the amendment.’” Tuesday’s vote does not necessarily mean that efforts to end the 17 year old ban have ended, but it does now guarantee that it will be much more difficult to include a repeal of the policy in the final House-Senate compromise version of the defense bill that legislators will vote on after November’s mid-term elections. A several month-long study commissioned by Pentagon (and condemned by gay rights advocates) is to be completed by December 1st, meant to review how the repeal might impact armed services readiness and morale. The news is depressing for gay rights leaders and for Democrats, both of whom will face harsh criticisms for not demanding a repeal of the archaic law much sooner.

Earlier Tuesday, General James Amos, nominated by President Obama to lead the United States Marine Corps, told the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday that a Pentagon survey on lifting a ban on openly gay men and women serving was mostly opposed, Amos saying he “heard at the Marine bases and Marine input for the online survey has been predominantly negative,” that according to the Associated Press. He added that the information was second-hand, and that he has seen the said survey replies. The outgoing Marine head, General James Conway, is an outspoken opponent of ending the ban on the policy known as “don’t ask, don’t tell,” and continually underlined that most Marines shared his opposition.