Robert Gates Doubts Military's Gay Ban Will Be Lifted This Year

Defense Secretary Robert Gates is doubtful that Congress will overturn the ban on gays serving openly in the armed forces during the current lame duck session. If so, that means the issue would spill over to next year when Republicans, who are generally less sympathetic to repeal, will control the U.S. House and have a stronger hand in the Senate.

Gates, who is in Afghanistan for an assessment of the war effort, said Monday, "I'm not particularly optimistic that they're going to get this done." Speaking to reporters aboard an aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, Gates said he still believed repeal was inevitable and hoped Congress would act, rather than leave the thorny issue for the courts to decide.

In Washington, Sen. Joe Lieberman offered a different perspective. Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut, thinks the Senate should stay in session until the current "Don't ask, don't tell" policy is repealed (the House has already voted to end it). Under the Clinton-era DADT policy, service members are required to keep their sexual orientation private with the understanding that officers will not grill them about their personal lives.

Lieberman, a leading advocate of overturning the law, "believes that there are at least 60 votes to repeal . . . provided the leadership allows time for sufficient debate and amendments," an aide to the senator said. "Wanting to go home is not an acceptable excuse for failing to pass a bill that provides essential support for our troops and veterans," spokeswoman Erica Masonhall told The Hill newspaper.

It is unlikely that any significant attempt will be made on repeal until the Senate deals with the Bush tax cuts, which expire on Jan. 1 -- absent action by the Congress. Only a couple of weeks remain in the post-election session.