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Published Saturday, Dec. 18, 2010 | 10:15 a.m.
Updated Saturday, Dec. 18, 2010 | 10:27 a.m.
John Ensign
Sun coverage
After a series of Saturday morning votes, the DREAM Act is dead, and a repeal of the 17-year "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy against gays serving openly in the military is all but guaranteed to pass when the Senate votes on final passage at 3 p.m. Eastern time today.
Which means for Nevadans, the only question that remains is how John Ensign, their Republican senator, will vote.
Six Republicans joined the whole Democratic caucus (save for West Virginia's new Senator Joe Manchin, who was a no-show), to vote for a procedural motion to take up the bill.
Ensign wasn't one of them. But that doesn't necessarily mean he'll vote against the bill itself.
Ensign says he voted against the procedural motion to take up the bill because Democrats weren’t allowing amendments to the legislation, and he had hoped to have a chance to vote for an amendment offered by Sen. John McCain that would have required Defense Secretary Robert Gates to get the rubber stamp of all four chiefs of the service branches before the policy could be repealed.
The bill itself is just an authorization to repeal the policy — it still depends on Gates’s final word. While Gates supports a repeal, the service chiefs are divided over whether a repeal is the right thing to do in wartime.
That’s the same conundrum that’s plaguing Ensign, and has still got him undecided, even as the clock ticks down to decision time.
“This is not an easy vote for me, because my personal feeling is that it should be repealed; and if it was peacetime, there would be no question," he said Saturday, following the procedural vote.
"The difficulty is what the service chiefs talked about, the Marine commandant, and that we're at war,” he continued. “And when 60 percent of the Marines that are out there, in the field, fighting says that would be disruptive — those are the things that are weighing on me."
Democrats cheered the passage of the cloture motion as a victory for civil rights, and thanked the six Republicans — Scott Brown of Massachusetts, Susan Collins of Maine — a chief sponsor of the bill with Joe Lieberman, Mark Kirk of Illinois, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Olympia Snowe of Maine, and George Voinovich of Ohio, for joining them.
“This is one of those moments in our history when we stepped up and squared our policies with the values this nation was founded upon," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. "I applaud those Republicans who have joined us to repeal this policy, and hope that even more will join us on the right side of history when we complete our work, and end ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’”
So how will Ensign vote? Check back here in about an hour.
To Senator Ensign: If the policy is wrong and discriminatory, it doesn't matter whether it's wartime or peacetime. Being at war is no excuse for not doing what's right.
Are you going to be on the right side of history and vote to repeal DADT, or not?
The Sun is hilarous.
Not one single article or "news analysis" story on passing of the tax cut bill..and they will go hog wild on the gay agenda.
I am sure pushing the gay agenda really really really helps Nevada.
When you have violated moral laws and possibly violated ethics laws, you really shouldn't be acting holier-than-thou. It's just a reminder of what an embarrassment Ensign and the entire Republican party are to the state of Nevada.
Glad to see they took note of what MOST AMERICANS wanted and did not pass that "Dream Act".
That was not the dream of legal Americans.
You can not allow people that are criminals to get their way in this country.
Chunky says:
If gays and lesbians want to serve in the military and defend our country it's fine with him.
His only concern is that G&L integration will create additional expense and/or liability for the taxpayers through some form of specialty housing or other such needs. Chunky doesn't know all the issues but as long as the military and other soldiers as well can make it happen without special treatment or expense he is appreciative of the G&L's willingness to serve our country.
That's what Chunky thinks for now!
We're about to see just how big a self-righteous hypocrite this guy is...
We also have to keep in mind that regardless of how Ensign and Reid vote on DADT, both are fundamentally homophobic bigots at heart. BOTH Reid and Ensign voted in favor of the so-called "Defense of Marriage Act." BOTH continue to argue that lesbians and gays have no legal right to marry.
I keep seeing news headlines today reporting that Republicans "blocked" the DREAM ACT. The Republicans don't have control of the Senate; the Democrats do. That means some Democrats voted against the DREAM ACT: Here are the Democrat Senators who rejected the cloture motion with a "nay" vote: Baucus, Hagan, Nelson, Pryor, Tester, (Manchin did not vote.) Three Republicans did not cast a vote on the measure either. They are: Hatch, Gregg, and Bunning. Orrin Hatch was one of the original authors of the DREAM ACT, and he didn't want to be on record for a vote. Another profile in courage.
Did Ensign vote??
ENSIGN VOTED FOR THE REPEAL!!!!!!!!!!!!
NICE WORK SENATOR ENSIGN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WOO HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
VICTORY AT LAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ENSIGN ACTUALLY DID THE RIGHT THING!!!! SERIOUSLY, I'M PUTTING ON MY SURPRISE FACE!!!!
Ensign may not be a faithful husband but IS a smart politician. That sounds like an insult but it's meant as a compliment!!!
Comment removed by moderator. Repetitive.
I think Ensign just saved his political career...
Comment removed by moderator. Off topic.
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So Democrats didnt vote for the Dream Act! Also under the democrats, like for instance Harry Reid, once again Nevada jobless increases! Story not on the sun yet...
The DREAM Act was doomed from the beginning. I say good riddance.
Well, the Senate did right on killing the DREAM idiocrisy of Sierra Harry, but made a major blunder by reversing Clinton's wise decision concerning queers in the military. Those of you who support the "openly serving" argument, will you now support the RINO Ensign who voted with Sierra Harry to pass this bill?
Hey Richard
I would love to see you call a gay marine a queer. Enjoy living under your bigot rock.
JohnF, why don't you go out there, try focusing on the guy shooting at you while wondering if the new discovered gay guy has your back or just checking it out.
Issue is: 1. Common knowledge is sex goes through a guys mind every 6-8 seconds. So this were there is a problem. 2.A second problem is taking showers. Are any of these people voting for it also willing to take a shower a known gay person of the same sex?
Solutions: There are 2 possiblities: 1. Different showering times. 2. Coed bay, coed barracks. Dangerous idea but no different then what they are currently pushing.
There has been a few the Senators, Army Sargent Majors and Marine Sargents that have said that it would be dangerous. It means that some people are not ready for it. There Will be a few Soldiers & Marines who would pay it if Not implimented correctly and in a timely manner.
For "those who think" they should just force it upon them think of this: Your son is out there in a war zone. He decides he is gay. Decides to tell others, to find out he is alone. However in telling another guy that is straight and he loses the train of thought. One of them dies because of "those who think" (should be "do not think") we should repeal the DaDt policy.
Recall Reid for supporting the Mexican Dream Act. Discrimination against homosexuals is UNCONSTITUTIONAL. Get a clue. The courts will reverse those macho macho little Generals. STAY OUT OF KOREA. Bring our troops home. Let the U.N. and Europe fully commit if any more aggression is warranted. DITTO FOR YEMEN. WE ARE BANKRUPT. BRING OUR TROOPS HOME. Stop spending overseas. Close the bases in Europe, Asia and elsewhere. Tens of thousands of American troops in Germany, England....
Hey JUAN, the Senate didn't even vote on the Mexican Dream Act. They just did a procedural move to not even consider a vote. Start stepping south and go home.
bestbest216,
There are THOUSANDS of Gay Americans already serving our country and most of the straight people in the service know who they are. Has not caused a problem for the last 100 years.
Only difference now is that Gay American's don't have to worry about being fired for doing the same thing as everyone else, serving their country.
No separate housing or showers has been provided in the past and it won't happen now.
Welcome to the real world of people that are not so shallow to worry about peoples sexual preferences.