The certification process for final Don’t-Ask-Don’t-Tell repeal — the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, along with the President, must certify to Congress that the United States military is trained and ready for open service — was always subject to tinkering by subsequent Congresses. Duncan Hunter, R-CA52, has obliged — with more sand in the gears. He will introduce an amendment that will require additional military leaders’ certifications before open service is permitted.

Barack Obama’s Department of Justice today argued in a federal court that the “repeal” of Don’t-Ask-Don’t-Tell signed by the President (which provides a pathway via certification to the Congress by the military, the Secretary of Defense, and the President that the DoD is ready to end DADT) means that there’s no need for them to continue their appeal of the Log Cabin Republicans’ case in the Ninth Circuit.

Sure, there were plausible, even obvious reasons for President Obama to take an unannounced trip to Afghanistan today. But…

Of course, these aren’t reasonable objections and, as such, shouldn’t be held up for examination for logical consistency. I just think repeal opponents have reached funny-papers status. They remind me of the kid who says, “This ice cream really sucks, can I have more please?”

Despite five terms in the Senate, this is how historians will likely memorialize McCain: the last great civil-rights filibusterer, in the sorry, backwards tradition of Strom Thurmond and Richard Russell.

With one judge dissenting, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a stay of the injunction of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy issued by U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips, pending the outcome of the government’s appeal of Log Cabin Republicans v. United States.

Following the orders of their Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, both Susan Collins (R-ME) and George Voinovich (R-OH) announced they will join the GOP filibuster led by John McCain (R-AZ) of the Defense Authorization bill, making today’s initial steps to repeal of Don’t-Ask-Don’t-Tell very precarious.