Even Lady Gaga Couldn't Convince the Senate...

The US Senate's Tuesday vote ended in a decision that left gay-rights campaigner's still gnashing their teeth. The Republicans blocked attempts to debate the repeal of the military "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy (hereafter referred to as DADT).

For those of you who've been living in a hobbit-hole for the past seventeen years (don't you wish?), DADT was a measure introduced in 1993 by then-President Bill Clinton. Intended to be a compromise measure, it forbade openly-gay/lesbian persons from serving in the military. It both requires that military authorities not ASK the sexual orientation of any military person, as well as that the servicemen/women don't TELL. I realize that this is a fairly simple summary of a very complex issue, but just go with it :)

While the American public originally endorsed the bill, we've since become to see it as it truly is: a dramatic loss of rights to the homosexual community. According to Wall Street Journal, nearly 60% of Americans favor the repeal of DADT. While military support is at only 49%, huge strides have been made in the last 7 years, raising military support over 13 percentage points.

President Obama promised during his 2008 campaign, that he would work to scrap the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. The House voted to repeal DADT back in May, but only five Republicans voted in support. The party-line division was particularly devastating to Tuesday's decision-- out of the 60 votes needed for debate, only 43 Senators, all Democrats, voted in favor. Not a single Repulican voted to allow debate on the bill. NPR hypothesizes that, with the return of Republican control to the Senate (as is expected in November's election), chances that the repeal will reach Senate floor will grow even slimmer.

Republican leaders, most notably John McCain, stated that they believed no debate could occur on the measure until December, when the Pentagon's lastest study will be available. The Pentagon is currently amassing data as to whether or not the repeal is likely to harm military cohesion.

Lady Gaga used her star-power on Monday at a rally in Portland, Maine, to raise awareness and pressure the DADT repeal. She specifically targeted Maine Senators Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, both of whom voted against debating a repeal on Tueday.

Does this mean the end of debate on the repeal? Probably not. Gay-rights activists and Democratic leaders alike say it's only a matter of time. Time, however, is of the essence. Lame-Duck Season is quickly approaching, and it doesn't look like debate will be opening any time soon. We'll see.