Wed. December 22, 2010
Washington, D.C. -
President Barack Obama is making good on a campaign promise this morning with the signing of a bill that does away with the controversial "don't ask, don't tell" policy banning gays and lesbians from serving in the military.
The historic legislation was finalized in the Senate on Saturday with a bi-partisan vote of 65-31.
Following the President's signature, the Pentagon must then come up with a plan for implementation which must then be submitted to Congress for a sixty day comment period. It is unknown at this point how long the Pentagon will take to provide the plan with estimates ranging from weeks to months.
The ceremony at the Interior Department in Washington, D.C. will be broadcast live below beginning at 8:15 a.m. Central time on Wednesday.
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The Chicago Tribune reports that the White House invited Illinois Freshman Sen. Mark Kirk to the Wednesday ceremony but his office says he can't attend because of scheduling conflicts. Kirk broke with the GOP on the crucial vote, supporting a repeal of DADT.
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