Cloture Watch: DREAM Act (No)/DADT (Yes)

A previously bi-partisan (for it, before against it?) bill failed to obtain cloture with the help of five Democrats (deciding votes). This sort of thing helped Harry Reid retain his job. This is what a minority blocked the majority from voting on:

Most immediately, the measure would have helped grant legal status to hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrant students and recent graduates whose lives are severely restricted because they are illegal residents, though many have lived in the United States for nearly their entire lives.

A real milestone of equality and common sense did occur with the U.S. Senate voting 63-33 for cloture (will Lucy truly leave the football in place for the final vote? yes, Virginia, it seems so) on DADT repeal. The House, as it did repeatedly, was a significant factor here in twice voted for repeal, most recently as a stand alone bill. In the past, entry of women and blacks into the military (and integration of both) was a key milestone of true equality.

The votes underline the importance of the Democrats in control.

Update: The final vote for passage was 65-31, which is typical: once cloture is provided, often more people vote for it. The issue also was one my junior senator has come out strongly on:

Anyway, there is a ways to go before true equality is in place:

What happens next: Obama has promised to sign the bill next week, making repeal a true legal reality. Then the Pentagon, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Obama must work out an implementation plan and officially certify that the military is ready to allow its gay and lesbian servicemembers to come out of the closet. Sixty days after that, DADT is "officially" repealed. Such is the language of the bill the Senate passed today and the House passed earlier in the week.

And, then, to other things, including DOMA!