Dems Moving on DADT

Someone get me to the fainting couch; I do believe I'm being overwhelmed with a case of the vapors! All these Dems acting so tough and flashing scandalous glimpses of spine!

Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.) has taken up the mantle as the chief opponent of "Don't ask, don't tell" in Congress, and he's confident the policy banning gays from serving openly in the military will get its first full committee hearing in a decade and a half this session.

Murphy, a second-term Democrat, will be lead sponsor of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, which would repeal "Don't ask, don't tell" — a policy first passed by Congress and signed into law under President Bill Clinton.

"It's our job," Murphy said of a repeal. "This was an act of Congress in 1993 and it will take an act of Congress" to reverse it.

You know what the best thing about this is? It totally calls Obama's bluff. He's justified his administration's lack of full-throated leadership on DADT by punting the issue back to Congress and saying he'll sign a repeal if they send it his way. So Murphy—who is himself an Iraq War veteran, rendering moot any claim he just doesn't understand military culture—has basically decided he's going to go forth and force Obama to hold to his promise.

On Wednesday, Murphy joined the Human Rights Campaign, Servicemembers United and other gay-rights organizations in launching a new national push to reverse the policy.

No Senate equivalent has been introduced, though Murphy says he has been encouraged by Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), either of whom may introduce the measure.

"We will have the votes in the House. I can't speak for the Senate," Murphy said. But, he cautioned, "It's going to take a few months."

Go get 'em.