The Hill News

The Log Cabin Republicans are calling on Obama administration officials to quickly implement the bill to repeal the military's “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that’s on the cusp of clearing Capitol Hill.

“Log Cabin Republicans urge Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen, and President Obama to move with all deliberate speed to implement the measures necessary for open service so that certification can proceed and gay and lesbian patriots will be free to serve our nation as honestly as they do honorably.  Until that happens, Log Cabin will continue to push for the constitutional rights of servicemembers by any means necessary,” said R. Clarke Cooper, the group’s executive director, in a statement.

The Log Cabin group â€" which has also mounted legal challenges to the policy â€" represents gay and lesbian Republicans seeking to build a “more inclusive” GOP.

The Senate is slated to vote for repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” â€" which prevents gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military â€" on Saturday afternoon after clearing a key procedural hurdle earlier in the day. The repeal already cleared the House and will be signed by President Obama.

The repeal measure requires the president and the secretary of Defense and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to send a certification to Congress declaring they have considered the recommendations contained in the Pentagon Working Group report on repealing “Don’t ask, don’t tell."

They must also certify that the Department of Defense has prepared the necessary policies and regulations to implement the repeal and that those policies are consistent with ! military standards for readiness, effectiveness, unit cohesion! , and re cruiting and retention.

The Log Cabin group also praised the six Republican senators who backed repeal in Saturday morning’s 63-33 vote that ended a filibuster on the measure, especially Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) who was a leader of the effort.

“Log Cabin Republicans are proud of our Senate allies who have voted to make our military stronger.  Senator Collins, in particular, has long been the point of the spear in fighting for repeal among Republicans. She showed tremendous leadership in crossing the aisle to make this vote happen, continuing the fight when many thought hope was lost,” Cooper said.