"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" to Go It Alone

Harry Reid tried to attach the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" to the Defense Appropriations Bill but was shot down by a threatened filibuster.  Democrats, desperate for some sort of win during this lame-duck session, have decided to introduce the legislation in both Houses as a stand alone measure:

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Pa.) are expected to introduce standalone "don't ask, don't tell" repeal legislation on Tuesday, three sources actively involved in repeal discussions told POLITICO Monday.

However, considerable uncertainty swirled around the mechanics of the "don't ask" repeal effort over the course of the day Monday. At one point, a key repeal advocate said advocates and lawmakers supporting repeal had agreed that the Senate would take the initiative on the freestanding measure and that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) planned to file a motion on Tuesday to bypass the usual committee process.  [...]

By evening, it appeared that identically-worded bills would be moved independently in each body depending on the flow of business, rather than moving from one body to the other. House action still seemed likely to precede Senate action on the legislation, however, because of the likely need for a cloture petition and associated debate on the Senate side due to the filibuster expected from Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)

It'll pass the House pretty easily. Not so sure in the Senate where there are still some powerful Senators opposed to the idea.