First it was the full U.S. House of Representatives and then the much-anticipated Senate Armed Services Committee who voted 16-to-12 last night in favor of an amendment for future contingent repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy (DADT). Despite last-minute lobbying by the Pentagon service chiefs, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) joined 15 Democrats in approving a conditional repeal of DADT, the discriminatory Clinton-era policy that bans openly gay and lesbian service members.
Sen. Collins, the only Republican to vote for the amendment, said it passed after “vigorous and aggressive debate,”NPR reported.
