DEM Senator WON'T BLOCK Repeal Of BAN On GAYS In Military

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" The bid to repeal the policy banning gay men and lesbians from serving openly in the military just picked up an important vote.


Sen. Mark Pryor of Arkansas said in a statement this morning that he'll support repeal. In September, he was one of only two Democrats to side with GOP Sen. John McCain in blocking repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that's been in place since 1993.


Pryor said he accepts the commitment from Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen that the repeal can be done "in a manner that does not harm our military's readiness, recruitment or retention."


Repeal of the policy, part of a larger bill to authorize Pentagon programs and a pay raise for the military, is just one piece of legislation that is awaiting action by the lame-duck Congress.


Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said this morning that a procedural vote to proceed with debate could come as early as this evening. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., told reporters that he thinks Democrats have a "good shot" at getting the 60 votes needed to break McCain's filibuster.


In September, Democrats fell four votes short to get past McCain. Pryor joins Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, as someone who no longer backs a filibuster. Her quibble was that the Pentagon's readiness report on the impact of repeal wasn't out at that time. She's long supported getting rid of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy.



By the way, the other Democrat to support McCain's filibuster was Sen. Blanche Lincoln, Pryor's Arkansas colleague. She was defeated for re-election in November.


<http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2010/12/mark-pryor-gays-in-military-/1>