Susan Collins blocking DADT legislation.
In a nutshell, Collins is asking Democratic leaders for unlimited debate on the defense bill. Reid, in turn, is offering Collins a compromise: votes on 10 separate amendments, seven of which would come from Republicans, three of which would come from Democrats.
Collins has responded that this isn’t good enough, and she’ll refuse to let the Senate vote up or down on the legislation.
It’s worth emphasizing that Collins just isn’t being reasonable. Looking back over the last couple of decades, a total of 10 amendments is entirely routine for this defense authorization bill, and is actually far more than the number of amendments considered most of the time.
Why not just give in and tell Collins she can have unlimited debate? Because Republicans really are desperate to kill the legislation, and the most far-right members will keep offering unrelated amendments indefinitely, running out the clock on the lame-duck session, and derailing the bill.
The aide told me, Collins is “basically asking for a unicorn for Christmas. We can’t give her a unicorn.”
That’s ‘2,042,337’ since this morning, right?
Or, he could stop appealing decisions striking DADT as unconstitutional. He’s had two chances, and has been quite a disappointment in fighting tooth and nail for the policy in courts both times.
Is there any justification for the appeals, other than so that the Dems could chalk it up as an accomplishment when they brilliantly smashed the discriminatory policy in Congress? Oh, wait.