Reid Plots New Pro-Gay Vote Before Elections

Facing the potential loss of a liberal majority in November, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is set to push for a vote of a defense appropriations bill that would repeal the policy that forbids gays and lesbians from openly serving in the U.S. military.

Just days after an activist federal judge in California ruled that the "don't ask, don't tell" guidelines violated the First and Fifth amendments of the U.S. Constitution, the Washington Blade reported that Reid would include the wording that would effectively do away with DADT as part of a defense authorization bill that will come to the Senate floor for a vote next week.

An aide to Reid, who is locked in a difficult re-election contest with tea party candidate Sharron Angle, says the majority leader is "hopeful" he will have the votes to overcome a Republican filibuster.

"Don't ask, don't tell" was put into place in 1993 by then-President Bill Clinton. It prohibits gays and lesbians from openly divulging their sexuality while serving in the military. Soldiers who do reveal their homosexuality, or are outed, are frequently honorably discharged for violating the policy.

The House of Representatives has already approved the Murphy amendment, which repeals DADT pending a study by the Department of Defense. Democrats want to overturn the law before the military survey shows opposition to the measure. See Chick's DOOM TOWN.