Frank: 'Don't ask, don't tell' repeal will go in Defense authorization

A repeal of "Don't ask, don't tell" will be included in 2010's Defense Department authorization bill, Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) said.

“Military issues are always done as part of the overall authorization bill,” Frank told The Advocate in an article published today. “'Don’t ask, don’t tell' was always going to be part of the military authorization.”

The Hill previously reported that leaders planned to move on DADT early next year. The Defense authorization bill would come up for a vote in spring or possibly summer, so that's a small delay.

This would be the second time within a year that a Defense authorization bill had been used to further gay rights. Last month, Democrats tacked on a hate crimes proposal to the Defense authorization bill.

Frank emphasized that, despite the complaints of some gay activists, the White House has always been committed to the repeal:

From The Advocate article:

Anecdotally, Frank recalled an incident earlier this year when Defense Secretary Robert Gates made a statement to reporters suggesting that repeal was still an open question.

“There was a point where Gates said, ‘If we repeal don’t ask, don’t tell,’ and the next day he said, ‘When we repeal 'don’t ask, don’t tell,’” said Frank. “That’s because Rahm called him up. The White House has been consistently committed.”