U.S. Senate moves ahead to vote on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (12/18 cloture vote)

from News coverage:

The Senate was poised on Saturday to allow gays to openly serve in the military after supporters overcame a procedural hurdle to bring the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" to the Senate floor.

In a 63-33 vote, the Senate passed the cloture motion. A formal repeal vote still lies ahead, but the outcome seemed assured after six Republicans joined with Democrats to advance the bill, which required 60 votes.
The six Republican senators who voted with the majority were: Scott Brown, of Massachusetts; Susan M. Collins and Olympia J. Snowe, both of Maine; Mark Kirk of Illinois; Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and George Voinovich of Ohio. Sen. Joe Manchin, of West Virginia, the only Democrat to oppose repeal, did not vote.
President Obama has made the repeal of the 1993 law one of his priorities in the lame-duck congressional session. The House passed the bill this week 250 to 174.
"The Senate has taken an historic step toward ending a policy that undermines our national security while violating the very ideals that our brave men and women in uniform risk their lives to defend," President Obama said in a prepared statement." By ending 'don't ask, don't tell," no longer will our nation be denied the service of thousands of patriotic Americans forced to leave the military, despite years of exemplary performance, because they happen to be gay. And no longer will many thousands more be asked to live a lie in order to serve the country they love.
"It is time to close this chapter in our history," he stated."It is time to recognize that sacrifice, valor and integrity are no more defined by sexual orientation than they are by race or gender, religion or creed. It is time to allow gay and lesbian Americans to serve their country openly. I urge the Senate to send this bill to my desk so that I can sign it into law."
When passed by the Senate and signed by the president, the repeal would allow gays and lesbians to serve in the military without fear of prosecution for their sexual orientation. More than 13,500 people have been dismissed from the military under the law.
"Don't ask, don't tell is wrong," said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) in his opening remarks Saturday morning. "I don't care who you love. If you love this country enough to risk your life for it, you shouldn't have to hide who you are. You ought to be able to serve."

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-pn-senate-gays-20101219,0,4926811.story