Posted on 12/06/2010 11:12:45 AM PST by onyx
“Sen. 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.
Democrats appear to have the 60 votes necessary to overcome any GOP-led filibuster of the defense bill, because some Republicans — like Sens. Susan Collins (Maine) and Scott Brown (Mass.) — have said they support the repeal.
But all 42 GOP senators have vowed to block any legislation from moving forward until the Senate passes an extension of expiring Bush-era tax cuts for all income brackets. Even the Republicans who favor repealing "Don't ask, don't tell" have made clear they won't allow the defense bill to move forward until tax cuts are addressed.
That puts Democrats up against a tight legislative calendar. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said on Saturday that he hopes to finish work by Dec. 17 and avoid working up until the Christmas holiday, as the Senate had done last year.
But Democrats face a busy schedule in which they hope to handle other controversial pieces of legislation, such as the DREAM Act. Republicans have meanwhile demanded weeks to debate the defense bill, a timeline that would seem to kick the legislation — and with it, the repeal of "Don't ask, don't tell" — until next year.
At that point, new senators will have been sworn in, giving the GOP control of 47 seats and making passing a defense bill including a repeal of the policy difficult, if not impossible.
They're out to destroy our military in War Time!!!
Susan Collins! FGS.
Scott Brown!!! Even worse. He knows better.
Collins is an idiot. Brown is a traitor to the military.
Iran....North Korea...10% unemployment....gas at $3.00 a gallon...wikileaks....and THIS is what congress is most concerned with??????
Well gee, why not just refuse to seat the new congress till after you deal with it.
Sheesh.
Liberman can stay as long as he wants...
The rest can go home.
I disagree completely. The fact that Obama supports a proposal is sufficient grounds to oppose the bill.
So the other Maine twin that is up 2012 is against it? Hard to believe Ben Nelson, Mark Pryor and the ones from Virginia will go along this. What about Manchin?
Or until midnight on December 2, 2011 when this Congress of Clowns and Clods disbands.
Is it really THAT important that we have openly gay people serving in our military? I’ve gotta wonder if all the top brass is secretly gay and being blackmailed or something. Or maybe it’s most of our legislative, executive, and judicial leaders.
Military service means submitting to discipline restricting Constitutional guarantees. However, expressing religious faith has not been among them. Religious faith serves as a critical foundation for surviving the grinding stress and shattering experiences of warfare. However, this issue was never addressed in the Pentagon study.
Basic theology explains why Jewish, Christian, and Muslim believers find their religious freedom evaporating by repeal of U.S. Code Section 654 of Title 10 known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”. Followers of desert religions, who send their pastors into the chaplaincy and believers into military service, consider homosexual behavior unacceptable. It resides among the myriad sins entrapping fallen humanity.
For tens of millions “People of the Book” foundational Old Testament scholarship concludes homosexual relationships separate believers from God. When speaking of the character, identity, and purpose of God, he is spoken of as masculine, and all humans become feminine in relation to Him. Besides creating all things, God created heterosexual marriage as the earthy manifestation of the absolute unity and love He seeks with each person.
Classical Semitic theology emphasizes identifying with God in spiritual intimacy. Therefore, worthy actions and thoughts are those which reinforce the faith commitment to spiritual relationship. Jewish, Christian, and Muslim believers find any subsequent reasoning must proceed from that basic understanding.
Therefore after repeal, when believers reject homosexuality in counseling rolls and normal life activities, these people reside outside Constitutional boundaries guaranteeing religious freedom. They would see themselves becoming guilty of at least cultural prejudice, if not criminality.
The debate should continue well into next year until Congress has to fully address this issue.
I sent an e-mail to Lieberman I wish someone from his State
would remind him as well that when he spoke to the Republican convention and reminded them of Toynbee he was applauded.
I guess he just thinks Toynbee made a nice sound when he farted. But Toynbee said America was in trouble if we kept living like we was in the Sixties. I wish someone Jewish would remind Old Joe that the Torah is still true and those who rebel offend the Lord of Hosts.I do not seen the kind of
separation between church and State in Scripture that I see in the body politic in America today.And when the chosen people rebelled— I think they got spanked—much like America seems to be getting wupped by this present administration/Congress inclusive.
Getting in touch with his Reform side, I see.
Yes, you wonder what’s really behind this.
Happy Hanukkah, Joe.
I know where you can put your dreidel.............
One notes that almost without exception, the repeal of DADT is supported by those who never served.
Ah, yes. Our TAME Demcorat Liberman.
The SAME guy who supports aggressive action in Afghanistan and Iraq - working diligently to undermine the very forces he supports the use of.
All libs are phoneys - even RINOs and “Blue Dog” Democrats.
When the chips are down, they suck up to their radical consituency.
In business, it is generally not considered good practice to drive away 16% of your best workers in order to attract 2-3% of those of unknown quality.
I’m am FURIOUS. CT FReepers need to call him. Is he completely clueless? I know he doesn’t celebrate Christmas, but this lameduck has NO business dealing with DADT just because it supposedly has the needed votes and the new congress doesn’t.
Lameducks do not decide important issues.
That’s NOT the way it’s done.
Well, fellas, that explains why Joey always has that thilly smile on his face! Oh, Joey... It’s your turn to pick up the soap!
You've said it all. Damn corrupt bastard. He is clueless. He's completely ignored THE MARINES and ARMY ON THE GROUND!
Even the AF is against it. Only the brown-nosing Mullins and Gates sell-out's are for this along with the Coast Guard.
If this goes through, we might as well bring the troops home. This is too damn much to ask of young straight men and women.
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