This morning’s exciting news, that Senator Scott Brown (R-MA) joined the ranks of Republican Senators Snowe, Collins, and Murkowski to support repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” sounds great. It sounds about as great as it did just after the Senate’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” hearings two weeks ago, when Brown created a tidal wave by announcing he would support repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” then, too. And didn’t Senator Snowe kinda, sorta indicate before the vote last week that she might vote yes also? These Republicans have a habit of flip-flopping. Bottom line: fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice…
So, then there’s that nasty little bit about the letter that all forty-two GOP Senators signed last month stating they would not let any legislation pass until the Bush tax cuts were extended and the government was funded for next year. Has everyone forgotten about that? Seriously. The giddiness needs to stop.
Right now, Republican Senators, especially Senators Thune and Cornyn, are moving the goal posts on the budget, complaining about $8.1 billion worth of earmarks that they themselves, more than the Democrats, put in there.
So, right now, and once again, this “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” vote is all about politics and process, and the number of votes we think we have has nothing to do with whether or not the bill will come to the flooer for a vote, and whether or not the Republican Senators who say today they will vote for it actually do.
Of course, as I’ve said before, if the Senate screws this up, the courts WILL fix it, and faster than if the law were repealed.