Even before President Obama announced at his State of the Union address that he would “work with Congress and the military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are,” Senator Joe Lieberman — before he was labeled “Joe Lieberman (I-Aetna)” — was tapped to be the one to push through “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” legislation in the Senate. Today, that day has come.
Lieberman, along with co-sponsor Carl Levin, today introduced the “Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2010.” The bill already has an additional ten sponsors, including Mark Udall of Colorado, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Roland Burris of Illinois.
Via SLDN:
“The Lieberman/Levin bill effectively mirrors the companion bill in the House of Representatives championed by Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.), though language in the Senate bill provides for an extended period of time for the military to transition to open service and provides ample time for the Pentagon Working Group to complete its work.  In response to senior Pentagon leaders requesting more time to manage a transition period, SLDN proposed last January a longer period of time to transition to open service (18 months). Section 7 of the Lieberman/Levin bill reflects this request and the need for a date certain for current law to end.
“This does not mean, however, things slow down in Congress,†said Sarvis. “Quite the opposite. It’s full steam ahead for legislative repeal this year. Congress must do its job and repeal DADT this year while the Department of Defense conducts its study over the coming year. SLDN will be squarely focused on the handful of Democratic and Republican senators on the Senate Armed Services Committee, who will determine whether repeal is done this year, or not.â€
Read Bil Browning’s take on HRC’s Joe Solmonese’s promise that Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell will be repealed this year.
It’s all about keeping our eye on the ball, not taking anything for granted, and momentum.