“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is still the law of land—at least for now. The Senate was expected to vote Tuesday on a defense bill that would have repealed the military’s policy that allows gay and lesbians to serve in the armed forces, as long as they keep their sexuality a secret.

Instead, Republicans did what they now do best: they used procedural moves to block the bill. The Democrats could not get the filibuster-proof 60 votes they needed, and the bill never made it to the Senate floor for discussion (let alone a full vote). In short, they ended the debate before it started.

No wonder, then, the vast majority of Americans disapprove of the job Congress is doing. Instead of debating the “National Defense Authorization Act”, the bill got tied up in procedural limbo.
 
The latest Republican effort to thwart the Democrats was led by Senator John McCain, the one-time (now-disavowed) political maverick, and ranking Republican member of the Armed Service’s Committee. Afterward, the Arizona Senator accused the Democrats of playing politics with the bill in order to salvage what he said “appears to be a losing campaign”.

But the same could be said for Republicans, who seem to oppose virtually every piece of legislation the Obama Administration favors. If President Obama is for it—and he is in favor of ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”—you can bet the Republicans are against it. 

As it turns out, the bickering wasn’t just over “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, but a provision Democrats tacked on to the bill—the DREAM Act—that would allow children (not born in the United States) of undocumented immigrants a path to American citizenship if they serve in the military or go to college.

How did the defense bill turn into a referendum on gay rights, and immigration reform? Politics, of course. Congress just can’t seem to vote on just one issue a time. Or, even worse, they can’t muster the courage to vote on any substantial issue at all.

And why would they want to? In an election cycle marked by an anti-incumbent trend, and a plethora of upsets, more Senate and House seats are up for grabs than is usual. Any vote that could attract an inkling of negative sentiment could jeopardize a re-election campaign. It seems both sides have decided the best way to become a potential target is to avoid voting altogether.

Even Majority Leader Harry Reid ended up voting with the Republicans on the procedure vote, a tactical measure that will allow him to raise the issue at a later time—maybe after the midterms are over, when he’s not locked in a tight battle with Tea Party-darling Sharon Angle for his Nevada seat (assuming, of course, that he wins).

Repealing the bill is a publicly popular proposal. A CNN poll conducted earlier this year showed that 78% of Americans are in favor of repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”.

Furthermore, the bill’s repeal is supported by two of the people who were key figures in first enacting the policy: Bill Clinton, who signed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” when he was President, and now says he regrets his decision; and General Colin Powell, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who favored it as the top military officer in the 1990’s. Other current top defense and military officials who support the repeal include Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen, current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 

Congress had the opportunity to do right on Tuesday, and repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”. The policy is not only discriminatory, but it is also costly. Taxpayers have spent hundreds of millions of dollars—at least $364 million, according to a University of California study—to enact it in its first decade. With Republicans eager to slash the government’s ballooning budget, one would think they would support reversing the policy on fiscal principal alone.

Instead, the Senate once again put politics ahead of the country’s interests.

America’s brave servicemen and women put their lives on the line to protect our freedom. Isn’t it time we let them have theirs?

Reach Editor Tracy Bloom here.

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