President Obama has issued a statement on the Senate's initial vote for cloture on DADT repeal. 

Today, the Senate has taken an historic step toward ending a policy that undermines our national security while violating the very ideals that our brave men and women in uniform risk their lives to defend. By ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” no longer will our nation be denied the service of thousands of patriotic Americans forced to leave the military, despite years of exemplary performance, because they happen to be gay. And no longer will many thousands more be asked to live a lie in order to serve the country they love.

As Commander-in-Chief, I am also absolutely convinced that making this change will only underscore the professionalism...

"With our nation at war and so many Americans serving on the front lines, our troops and their families deserve the certainty that can only come when an act of Congress ends this discriminatory policy once and for all. The House of Representatives has already passed the necessary legislation. Today I call on the Senate to act as soon as possible so I can sign this repeal into law this year and ensure that Americans who are willing to risk their lives for their country are treated fairly and equally. Our troops represent the virtues of selfless sacrifice and love of country that have enabled our freedoms. I am absolutely confident that they will adapt to this change and remain the best led, best trained, best equipped ...

It's by no means surprising considering her media-saturation and political presence in 2010, but Sarah Palin has inched closer to officially announcing a 2012 run for president. With her midterm strategies behind her (having successfully helped elect many pro-Palin Congress members, save for the very visible loss of Sen. Lisa Murkowski's win yesterday), Palin's language isn't as vague as it had been in the months leading up to November. In two interviews -- one in which she tells Barbara Walters she can beat President Obama and a clearer consideration of a White House run in an interview with New York Times Magazine -- Palin amps up her rhetoric and confidence to announce that she has her sights set on "the lay of the land" in 2012. ...

Lt. Dan Choi, Petty Officer Autumn Sandeen, Cpl. Evelyn Thomas, Robin McGehee and Dan Fotou of GetEQUAL, former U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Miriam Ben-Shalom, former U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Justin Elzie, former U.S. Army linguist Ian Finkenbinder, Rob Smith, Roman Catholic priest Geoff Farrow, New York-based activist and blogger Scott Wooledge and Michael Bedwell were arrested Monday afternoon after chaining themselves to the White House fence in protest over the administrations inaction over DADT. 

The protest and arrests came just hours after yesterday's big news that some groups were supporting the removal of the DADT repeal component of the defense bill. 

Choi of course has been arrested for such protests before, and on Monday told...

Lt. Dan Choi, who is making DADT protest rounds in Washington today with other members of GetEQUAL, just left Senator Harry Reid's office with unsurprising but still-disappointing news:

Whether it’s through hoodoo or a series of séances, President Obama has promised to magically get DADT repeal through a lame-duck Congress in 2011. Now, with news that Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Carl Levin (D-MI) are determined to strip DADT repeal from the upcoming Defense Authorization Bill, chances are even less likely we’ll see an end to military discrimination on Obama’s watch.

Senator McCain has been one of the most vocal supporters of DADT so his efforts are of no surprise, but Sen. Levin is said to be striking a deal with Sec. Robert Gates to remove DADT language from the bill to ensure its streamlined passage.

The tangible disenfranchisement the community felt in the months leading up to the midterms reveal themselves in numbers out today showing that Republicans garnered 31% of the gay vote this year, compared to only 19% in 2008.

Huffington Post explains:

The change from the last midterm elections in 2006 was not quite as large but an increase nevertheless. In 2006, 24 percent supported Republicans. Democrats' share of the gay vote rose from 75 percent in 2006 to 80 percent in 2008 and then dropped to 68 percent in 2010. Each year, approximately 3 percent of voters identified as gay, lesbian or bisexual.

While Dems gain more of the gay vote for presidential elections, the sharp increase this year could spell trouble for 2012. Looks like it’s...

During a meeting with GLBT bloggers (pictured) at the White House on Wednesday President Obama hinted that he may be changing his official stance against marriage equality to one of support.

Joe Sudbay of AmericaBlog, one of the five writers invited to meet with the president, provides a peek inside the moment:

"As you say, I have been to this point unwilling to sign on to same-sex marriage primarily because of my understandings of the traditional definitions of marriage. But I also think you’re right that attitudes evolve, including mine. And I think that it is an issue that I wrestle with and think about because I have a whole host of friends who are in gay partnerships. I have staff members who are in committed, monogamous relationships,...

It's important to remember that while me may be frustrated with his explanations for legally defending DADT and DOMA, President Obama is the gay-friendliest man to hold the office by a mile. In fact, less than halfway through his four-year term, Obama has appointed more openly-gay officials than any other sitting president, outpacing the previous record holder, Bill Clinton.

From Yahoo:

Gay activists say the estimate of more than 150 appointments so far — from agency heads and commission members to policy officials and senior staffers — surpasses the previous high of about 140 reached during two full terms under President Bill Clinton.

"From everything we hear from inside the administration, they wanted this to be part of their...

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has announced new guidelines for the way the Pentagon handles Don't Ask Don't Tell enforcement, including a provision that allows only five people the authority to discriminate against and terminate the careers of gay soldiers.

The five officials who hold the fate of outed GLBT soldiers in their hands are the secretaries of the three military branches (Army, Navy and Air Force), who will make decisions to fire soldiers based on their sexuality along with a high-ranking Pentagon lawyer and undersecretary.

The new policy is effective immediately and until further notice (as in when the Ninth Circuit rules on the Obama Administrations appeal).

Updated Friday, October 22, 2 p.m. EST

Dan Savage spoke to CNN on Friday about President Obama's "It Get's Better" video.

“Here you have the President of the United States saying that you didn’t choose it — to be gay — and you will get through this…that said, the President of the United States has the power to do more than assure LGBT kids that it will get better; the President of the United States has the power to make it better for LGBT adults and children.”

________

Trumping Sec. of State Hillary Clinton as the most powerful American to join the "It Gets Better Campaign," President Obama submitted his entry late Thursday. Here's the transcript:

I don't know what it's like to be picked on for being gay, but I do know...

While appearing on CNN's American Morning to discuss the Obama Administration's successful resuscitation of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Lt. Dan Choi pledged to the public he would not vote for the president.

“I have a message for [White House adviser] Valerie Jarrett and all those politicians in the White House: You have lost my trust. And I am not going to vote for Barrack Obama after what he did yesterday.”

Whether or not Obama possesses the power necessary to immediately end Don't Ask, Don't Tell is a touchy subject; on Thursday Ted Olson agreed with GLBT activists and a growing list of Democrat support on the Hill that it would "be appropriate" for the Obama Administration to not appeal the DADT injunction, while Ben Adler of Newswee...