The Real Repeal Deal

HuffPo's Sam Stein has the goods on the plan to roll back Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

Congressional negotiators and White House officials are moving forward with plans to add the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell to the upcoming defense authorization bill, Democratic sources tell the Huffington Post.

In Congress, members are being whipped to ensure that the votes will be there for passage, should the legislation be placed in the bill. At this juncture, aides say, the prospects look good. Meanwhile, a source close to the White House says the president has instructed the Defense Department that he believes the repeal of DADT should be placed in the authorization bill.

However, disagreements could emerge when it comes to crafting the actual legislative language, over which Defense Secretary Robert Gates will wield his influence. And at this juncture, few of the offices working on the issue said they were willing to take passage as a fait accompli.

"People have said publicly and privately that this is a good place for repeal to be placed," said one Democratic aide on the Hill. "It would be reasonable to expect that repeal might be in this year's defense authorization... But we aren't assuming anything yet."

Still, it's the most direct and effective method to overturn DADT.  It will force Republicans to try to block the entire defense appropriations bill, and that's not something they are going to be prepared to do, especially in light of all the foreign policy and Warren Terrah criticisms they have leveled at the White House in the last few weeks.

A number of lawmakers on the Democratic side are behind the effort.  And considering the last time the Senate Republicans came out against an equality measure in a military bill they looked like complete jagoffs, I don't think they're going to make too much of an issue of it.