Senate Has Enough Votes to Repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Says Lieberman

John McCain has threatened to filibuster a bill to scrap the law banning openly gay people from the U.S. military.

The repeal of the policy is embedded in a much larger armed services bill that is considered “must-pass” legislation because it authorizes military spending. It has already been passed by the House, and yesterday independent Senator Joe Lieberman said at least 60 senators, including a handful of Republicans, have promised to support the bill. Republicans have called for a lengthy debate on the issue and the right to add many amendments to the bill, while McCain said he might filibuster the process. In September a judge declared the policy unconstitutional, but the Obama administration has attempted to block the implementation of her ruling, arguing that repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell” is Congress’s job.