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Virginia Dem. Sen Jim Webb to Retire After One Term

First term Democratic Sen. Jim Webb (VA) will not seek re-election, he announced in a statement today.

"After much thought and consideration I have decided to return to the private sector, where I have spent most of my professional life, and will not seek re-election in 2012. Notwithstanding this decision, I have every intention of remaining involved in the issues that affect the well-being and the future of our country."

Webb, the former Navy Secretary in the Reagan Administration, was the sole Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee to vote on May 27 2010 against adding the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act.

Seven months later, Webb's position changed. On December 18 2010, Webb voted for cloture and final repeal on the historic 2010 "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Repeal Act.

The Washington Post adds:

Webb's decision, long anticipated by many in Virginia politics, will make his seat more difficult to hold for his party. Ex-Sen. George Allen (R), who lost the seat in 2006 to Webb, is running to win it back, and a handful of other GOP candidates are also running. Some Democrats hope ex-Gov. Tim Kaine will decide to run for the seat, but he has given no indication yet that he is interested.

It looks like it will be more difficult for the Democrats to retain their Senate majority. Of the 33 Senate seats up for re-election in 2012, 23 are held by Democrats.

REPORT: Pentagon Wants 1 Year+ to Implement DADT Repeal

President Obama will sign the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" on Wednesday but abolishing the  17-year-old ban on openly gay service members could take many months, reports Politico.

"The service chiefs wanted to have more than a year to implement the new policy, citing the need to train the force and prepare it for “open service,” according to a source close to the matter. Marine Commandant Gen. Jim Amos, for example, may demand that physical modifications be made to accommodate concerns among some Marines about showering with other Marines who are serving openly. All of this could take time.

"Amos may have backing on Capitol Hill, where Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.), a former Marine, has been pushing the Pentagon to phase in any new policy. Webb said in a statement last week that Defense Secretary Robert Gates confirmed to him that implementation would be “sequenced in order to protect small unit cohesion.”

"'We have not determined the specific methodology that would be used should this legislation pass, but I can assure you that the specific concerns that you raise will be foremost in my mind as we develop an implementation plan,' Gates told Webb in a Dec. 17 letter. 'Further, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and I remain committed to work closely with the Service Chiefs and the Combatant Commanders in developing this process.'"

Marine Commandant Gen. Amos now says the Corps will "step out smartly" to implement repeal.

The New York Times reports Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the President wants gay personnel integrated quickly but ...

"[M]ilitary officials said they did not yet have a timetable for putting the change into effect. President Obama is expected to sign the bill early this week. 'There will certainly be pressure to get it done in 2011,' one defense official said, indicating that repeal will be a relatively slow but not years-long process.

"Phasing in the repeal by service branch, with some parts of the military affected before others, was “highly unlikely,” said the official, who asked for anonymity to talk more freely about internal deliberations at the Pentagon.

"Under the terms of the legislation that passed the Senate on Saturday and the House earlier last week, the Defense Department will not carry out the repeal until Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates , Mr. Obama and Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, “certify” that the military is ready to make the change. After that, the legislation requires a 60-day period before the change takes place.

"Gay rights advocates said Sunday that repeal should be carried out as quickly as possible, preferably in the first quarter of next year."

The PALM Center, RAND Corporation, NATO partners and other nations that have successfully integrated gays into military, such as Great Britain, South Africa and Israel, suggest a rapid timeline to end anti-gay bans in the armed forces.

In contrast, in 1994 the Pentagon was able to start enforcing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in only 40 days, reports The Advocate.

Senate Armed Services Committee Votes 16-12 to Repeal DADT

By a 16-12 vote, the Senate Armed Services Committee has approved the Levin-Lieberman Amendment. The amendment begins the process of dismantling the 17-year-old "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that prohibits gays and serving openly in the military. This is the first time Congress has ever attempted to repeal the ban in its nearly 17 year history.

The roll call is AFTER THE JUMP ....

The language was submitted by SASC Chairman Carl Levin (MI) and Joseph Lieberman (CT) as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act. The measure allows Congress to vote now to repeal the current law, but, actual implementation begins after completion of the Pentagon Working Group study due December 1 and upon certification. Since the amendment has passed committee, it would require 60 votes to strip repeal from the bill during the floor debate. Background HERE and HERE.

Susan Collins of Maine was the sole Republican on the panel to approve the measure. Virginia's Jim Webb was the only Democrat to vote against it. The vote was held in closed session. Fifteen votes were needed for passage.

Rep. Patrick Murphy will offer similar language as an amendment to the NDAA on the House floor later tonight or tomorrow. Murphy and Speaker Nancy Pelosi expect the amendment to pass.

UPDATE: The House is debating now. Watch CSPAN1 or Houselive.gov.

The roll call is AFTER THE JUMP ....

 

Is Health Care Reform Dead?

After last night's special election, the Democratic retreat from health care reform begins.

Sen. Jim Webb (TPM via Americablog):

"In many ways the campaign in Massachusetts became a referendum not only on health care reform but also on the openness and integrity of our government process. It is vital that we restore the respect of the American people in our system of government and in our leaders. To that end, I believe it would only be fair and prudent that we suspend further votes on health care legislation until Senator-elect Brown is seated."

Rep. Barney Frank (TPM via Rachel Maddow):

I have two reactions to the election in Massachusetts. One, I am disappointed. Two, I feel strongly that the Democratic majority in congress must respect the process and make no effort to bypass the electoral results. If Martha Coakley had won, I believe we could have worked out a reasonable compromise between the House and Senate health care bills. But since Scott Brown has won and the Republicans now have 41 votes in the senate, that approach is no longer appropriate. I am hopeful that some Republican senators will be willing to discuss a revised version of health care reform. Because I do not think that the country would be well served by the health care status quo. But our respect for democratic procedures must rule out any effort to pass a health care bill as if the Massachusetts election had not happened. Going forward, I hope there will be a serious effort to change the senate rule which means that 59 are not enough to pass major legislation, but those are the rules by which the health care bill was considered, and it would be wrong to change them in the middle of this process.

Irony much? The conservative, anti-gay and very anti-health care reform Scott Brown may become the vote to stall health care—and gay rights. Brown replaces the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, who was a champion of both.

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