Make no mistake: Senator Scott Brown is a smart man. He is a practicing lawyer who’s had a very successful career and was elected to replace Senator Ted Kennedy earlier this year. So it is a bit odd that during tioday’s Senate Armed Services Committee meeting over the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, Senator Brown asked a witness to explain “what does expedited mean?” Surely he knows the definition. Or was he playing to a potentially confused audience of 50 or so CSPAN viewers (a demographic that almost certainly understand what “expedited” means)?

A just-released Pentagon study on Don’t Ask Don’t Tell–covered live on all cable nets–finds overturning DADT would not cause any longterm problems for the American military.

“A strong majority (of American troops surveyed)–more than two thirds–do not object to gays and lesbians serving openly in the military,” said Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who introduced the survey’s results alonside Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

This morning on Meet The Press, David Gregory talked to Senator John McCain about his position on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell — and his wife’s differing opinions on the issue as well.

“I want a thorough and complete study on the effect on morale and battle effectiveness of the United States military. I will listen, as I’ve said for years, to our military leaders, and not a study that is leaked,” McCain said.

The latest NOH8 ad against gay bullying features Gene Simmons, Denise Richards and other celebrities.

But it also stars Cindy McCain, wife of Sen. John McCain, who makes some very clear her opposition to her husband’s policies on Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.

And the DADT plot thickens. Last night, Brian Williams broke the news of a Defense Department survey that asked troops how they’d feel about serving with openly gay men and women. And the survey says… that most of the military is fine with openly gay troops amongst their ranks.

Who: Alec Baldwin, Jeffrey Toobin, Judy Gold, moderated by Andy Borowitz
What: “The Borowitz Report: Midterm Madness!”
Where: 92nd St. Y
When: October 20, 2010
Thumbs: Up

Some have suggested that President Obama has neither the political capital nor will to see the termination of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” through, which was the topic of conversation during today’s White House Press conference. Press Secretary Robert Gibbs dealt with a rather aggressive set of questions over the Obama Administration’s handling of the political hot potato. Gibbs did reaffirm his statement from the weekend in which he proclaimed that the controversial policy would end under Obama.

Gay rights and DADT appears to be making a late run as the most talked-about issue in this year’s Midterms. Earlier today on Meet the Press Colorado Senate Republican candidate Ken Buck, who is a supporter of DADT, revealed that he thinks homosexuality is a choice. Sort of like alcoholism.

strong>President Obama had his town hall with MTV viewers this afternoon and judging by Twitter they did not go easy him. Chuck Todd notes “questions to POTUS are fascinating and challenging; Definitely not a bunch of “boxer/brief” stuff.” Not at all. A number of the questions went right to the heart of this week’s top news stories, namely DADT and childhood bullying, which schools need to take seriously.

A federal judge has declared that the Military no longer enforce the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy, effectively ending the military’s 17 year-old ban openly gay troops The US district judge is Virginia Phillips issued the ruling that will potentially change the face of the U.S. Military at home and abroad and has been widely cheered by gay rights organizations. The United States DOJ attorneys now have 60 days to appeal this ruling, thought they could just let Phillips ruling just stand.w have 60 days to appeal this ruling, thought they could just let Phillips ruling just stand.

Bill Maher‘s war on religion continued yesterday as he took up the Supreme Court fight over the Westboro Baptist Church, yet for what is arguably the most offensive religious group this side of Al-Qaeda, Maher went easy on them. He chastised them for calling him a “Catholic” but commended their honesty, especially compared to people like South Carolina GOP Senator Jim DeMint, who opposes LGBT individuals having the right to teach in schools.

President Obama has apparently reached the ‘can’t do anything right’ portion of his presidency. Last night at a fundraiser in New York City President Obama was loudly heckled by a group of people protesting over AIDS funding and DADT. It’s unclear how the protesters were allowed into the event, and why they weren’t ushered out once they started yelling, but the end result is a large group of people hollering at the President, which truth be told is a little unnerving.

Tuesday’s news that congressional efforts to repeal “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” had been derailed by the GOP made it to Jon Stewart‘s anchor desk in his patented style of reporting on the news a day and a half after other news outlets. But also in The Daily Show‘s inimitable style was Stewart’s clear and simple rundown of legislative gamesmanship and “strategery” that effectively killed the popular bill in such a way that could only lead both host and viewer to conclude that the United States is, in fact, run by a@@holes.<

Rachel Maddow was on fire last night in the wake of the GOP’s refusal to pass the Defense Bill which included a amendment to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Says Maddow: “They did it because they want to keep this anti-gay policy in place. This is about the gays.

Republican Senator James Inhofe took some time at the Value Voters Summit this week to explain in greater detail his ongoing desire to see Don’t Ask Don’t Tell upheld. Arguing that “you don’t have a constitutional right to serve in the military,” he warned that voting for a repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell would be the same as voting for “open gay activity” and “abortions in our hospitals.”

Rachel Maddow revealed a couple of interesting little tidbits having to do with DADT on her show last night. First, were you aware the reason Senate democrats delayed going ahead with a repeal of DADT was to give John McCain time to finish his hotly contested primary again J.D. Hayworth? Second: Hello Gaga!

Now that we’re preparing to say goodbye to Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (or at least we hopefully are), it’s a good time to look back on this controversial policy. And what better way to do that than by reading a hilarious nine-year-old comic book created by the military to explain the rules of neither asking or telling to our soldiers? Give up? I’m not surprised because there is literally no better way.

The military’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell law has been controversial for years. So perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that the process of its repeal might also cause some controversy. Advocacy group Servicemembers United acquired a copy of a Pentagon survey that included questions about DADT–and they’re displeased with what they’ve found.

There is no such thing as simple in Washington, D.C. — this is not news. Alas, what might be news to many DADT supporters is that passage of the bill that would result in the repeal of DADT is dependent on a slew of other factors having nothing to do with Gays in the military, and which are threatening its approval.

The U.S. House of Representatives have passed a measure to allow gays to serve openly in the military by repealing a 1993 law that is commonly known as “don’t ask, don’t tell.” The House vote came Thursday night, just hours after the Senate Armed Services Committee approved a similar measure to repeal the policy that prohibits service by those who openly acknowledge being gay or lesbian. Video of the vote from C-Span below.

The debate over the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is raged on in the House tonight before the final vote to repeal DADT was passed. Detractors of the new amendment were adamant that it was unfair of Congress to make a decision before the Pentagon had finished their review of how to implement the change (not whether to repeal it, but how). Meanwhile supporters say that a provision that gives Congress 60 days to go over the Pentagon’s finished statements before enacting the amendment will provide plenty of time to make any changes that are needed. Last night, Rachel Maddow had two military bloggers on as guests and they stated that, with the provision, they wholeheartedly supported the repeal.

SCOTUS Nominee Elena Kagan is making the meet-and-greet rounds with Senators this week and it appears that she has already managed to convince Scott Brown that she is pro military. Kagan’s attempt to restrict military recruiters from Harvard grounds when she was Dean of the law school there based on her opposition to DADT has [...]

What’s going on in the military bases in far away lands? A few weeks ago a YouTube video emerged of US soldiers stationed in Afghanistan sending up Lady Gaga‘s Telephone video. Well another new video has emerged, though this one is from the scorched earth of Iraq, and is a remake of Ke$ha’s “Blah Blah Blah” video, ostensibly made by self described “straight” soldiers.

Is President Obama going to manage to get Elena Kagan confirmed to the Supreme Court without addressing her sexuality? Well, not if Andrew Sullivan has anything to do with it. Sullivan attacked Kagan’s sexuality, or the lack of public mention of it, in a series of posts yesterday, with a ferocity that was reminiscent of his determination to find out the true parentage of Trig Palin. It seems to be working.

Interesting. On last night’s show Rachel Maddow opted not to cover the DADT demonstrations at the White House yesterday, despite the police’s stunning decision to remove the White House Press from the scene. Instead she opted to spend ten minutes on lightly attended gun rallies that took place in and around Washington D.C. on Monday to mark Patriot’s Day (also, the anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing).