Sargent has questions:
How hard will the White House press Reid to hold this vote? Will Obama work GOP moderates behind the scenes? And will Reid resolve the remaining procedural issues in a way that removes the final pretext GOP moderates have for opposing the bill? Prediction: Gay rights groups and leading commentators on the left will expect Reid to make this happen, and will be very reluctant to tolerate any efforts to blame Republican obstructionism if it fails.
Allahpundit echoes:
Long story short, anything can happen, but they’re tantalizingly close to finally getting this done. Exit question: After threatening to hold the lame duck session over until January 4th if need be to deal with the START treaty and other business, Reid basically has to bring this bill to the floor now, right? Gay activists aren’t going to accept “we ran out of time” as an excuse.
Sen. Olympia Snowe is onboard:
You never know with those two Maine senators, but if Snowe keeps her commitment, that gives DADT repeal 59 of the 60 votes needed to get past the Republican filibuster. Sens. Scott Brown (R-MA) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) are the key uncommitted senators at this point.
(Photo: A man wears a shirt during a news conference on December 15, 2010 in Washington, DC. Moments earlier the House voted 250 to 175 to overturn the ban on openly gay and lesbian soldiers serving in the U.S. military. By Mark Wilson/Getty Images)