Democratic Senators Mark Pryor of
Arkansas and Joe Manchin of West Virginia are the latest Democrats to
flip on repeal of “Don't Ask, Don't Tell.”
Pryor, who in September voted against
repeal of the law that bans gay and bisexual troops from serving
openly, announced a change of heart on Wednesday. Pryor and fellow
Arkansas Senator Blanche Lincoln were the only two Democrats to
oppose the measure.
Citing
a Pentagon report that endorses repeal and top military leaders
who've said they would rather Congress deals with the issue than the
courts, Pryor announced he would vote with his Democratic caucus.
“On many previous occasions, I have
said that I would oppose repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' until I
had heard from our servicemen and women regarding this policy,”
Pryor said in a statement. “I have now carefully reviewed all of
the findings, reports, and testimony from our armed forces on this
matter and I accept the Pentagon's recommendations to repeal 'Don't
Ask, Don't Tell.' I also accept the Secretary of Defense and
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs' commitment that this policy can be
implemented in a manner that does not harm our military's readiness,
recruitment or retention.”
“We have the strongest military in
the world and we will continue to do so by ensuring our troops have
the resources necessary to carry out their missions. Therefore, I
support the 2011 Defense Authorization Act that passed the Senate
Armed Services Committee and will support procedural measures to
bring it to a vote this year.”
Earlier in the week, Manchin shifted in
the other direction on the issue, hinting that he might not support
his predecessor's position. The former West Virginia governor took
over the seat previously held by the late Robert C. Byrd, who voted
in favor of lifting the ban.
Talking to reporters, he reiterated his
concerns on the effect lifting the ban would have on military
chaplains.
“They don't believe that it should be
invoked at a point of time when they're engaged in combat, because it
would be a hard transition for them,” Manchin said. “So, if
someone's trying to push that through with a vote quicker, it might
not be prudent. I'm not sure if the votes would be there to do
that.”
Senate
Majority Leader Harry Reid postponed a Wednesday vote on repeal of
the Clinton-era law after a loud outcry from Republicans, but
debate might resume on Thursday.