Will Sen. Mark Kirk Vote Against DADT Repeal In Senate Like He Did In House?
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Since Democrats will hold a 58-42 majority during the lame-duck session, Reid needs two Republican votes to prevent a filibuster. Kirk has a chance to make up for his last vote, and regain his reputation as one of the few pro-gay Republicans in Washington. The Pentagon is expected to release a report on Dec. 1, saying that allowing gays to serve openly will not harm military morale. Kirk could use that as cover for changing his position. Kirk was a socially liberal congressman when he represented his North Shore district, but swung to the right during the Senate campaign, leading one commentator to call him “an ideological windsock.” The Don’t Ask Don’t Tell vote will be Illinois’s first chance to find out what kind of senator we elected: the independent voice we saw in Congress, or the partisan hack we saw during the campaign.