A key Republican senator will not support attempts to remove the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal amendment from the 2011 National Defense Authorization Act.
Indiana's Richard Lugar tells the Washington Blade that he will not support any attempt to filibuster the NDAA, as has been suggested by Arizona Republican John McCain.
"Asked whether he would support a substitute amendment or a motion to strike, Lugar replied, 'No. I would just leave it as it is.' Lugar said he would 'presume' that he would vote against any filibuster of the defense bill as a whole, but expressed concern about the legislation being used as a vehicle for other costly programs unrelated to 'Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.' 'The defense bill, as it stands, seems to me to be a good piece of legislation, but I think the issue was the additions that were not paid for in various other ways,' Lugar said."
Lugar could be referring to the controversial F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which the House defied the threat of a presidential veto by voting to fund a second engine.
The ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is considered somewhat moderate. The Indiana Republican voted in favor of federal hate crimes protections but twice twice backed the Federal Marriage Amendment. Lugar does not support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.
In other DADT-related news: The Log Cabin Republicans' federal lawsuit challenging "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is scheduled to go to trial on July 13 in Riverside, California. On Friday, U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips ruled against the Justice Department's motion to limit evidence and testimony.
Good for Senator Lugar, the don't ask don't tell law has got to go.
Posted by: Dino S. | 07 July 2010 at 21:11