Senate Majority Leader Reid Calling For Vote To Repeal Military Policy Prohibiting Openly Gay Service Personal

The Associated Press is reporting that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will demand a vote Wednesday on a repeal of the military policy prohibiting openly gay service personal, the demand a test of whether Republicans have dropped their objections to overturning “don’t ask, don’t tell” after a Pentagon commissioned study concluded that repeal could be achieved without impeding military readiness or unit cohesion. The vote would be procedural, and would permit further debate if approved. If the vote fails, the bill would considered dead for at least a year, and would face an almost insurmountable fight beginning January, 2011, when Republicans take control of the House and increase their numbers in the Senate. According to the AP, advocates for the repeal privately expressed fears that the bill was doomed to fail, but publically called on President Obama to use his power to ensure the vote succeeded. Christopher Neff, the executive director of the Palm Center, said “The president set a course for repeal during his State of the Union address and this Senate vote may be the steepest hurdle of this 17 year fight. This is the president’s vote and his leadership can make the difference today.”