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Vending Machine Dispenses Gold; Gays in the Military
Aired December 18, 2010 - 14:58 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: This is it a first of a kind vending machine spitting out bars, not chocolate bars. Tory Dunnan from CNN affiliate WPBF has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TORY DUNNAN, WPBF CORRESPONDENT: If you're looking for that 100 Grand candy bar, you might just get something in a similar shape that may be worth a grand.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think of a vending like a coke or a candy bar maybe, or gum, but gold? It's unbelievable.
DUNNEN: Instead of a liquid drink in an aluminum can, how about a solid gold bar. The "Gold to Go" ATM machine is the first of its kind right here in Florida.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Boca Raton is Wall Street south.
THOMAS GEISSLER, GOLD TO GO INVENTOR: You come home, the chocolate is gone. Flowers, they are out two days later. You come home with gold, it will last for the next 5,000 years and gets much more points.
DUNNAN: Reporter: These gold ATMs are in three continents now and this is actually the 20th machine. But in order to make sure the consumer gets the right market value of gold. The machine resets itself every ten minutes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's the easiest way. You cut out the middleman.
DUNNAN: Right now the cap is set at two ounces, a price value at just less than three grand. If you don't like it, return it within ten days.
STEVE TUNNICLIFFE, SHOPPER: I never even imagined I would see this, but great. I'm not sure how it's useful, but I'm intrigued.
DUNNAN: If you're used to getting chocolate that melts, remember the only bar you get won't melt in your mouth or your hands.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: Lots of news this hour, including an historic vote in the Senate to end don't ask, don't tell. I'm Drew Griffin in for Fredricka Whitfield this afternoon. Let's get right to it. We're monitoring Capitol Hill, that is where the Senate is set to begin a final vote now on repealing the Pentagon's controversial don't ask, don't tell policy on gays in the military. It should be just a formality because of what happened earlier today in the Senate. Right now let's bring in CNN's congressional correspondent Brianna Keilar on Capitol Hill. Brianna, I said it should be a done deal. That's the way it looks, right?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It basically is. Because even though the Senate hasn't had the vote and we are awaiting this, this is the moment, make no mistake about it, this is the moment where the Senate will send out of Congress a repeal of don't ask, don't tell so that men and women can serve in the military, so they can be openly gay and it's not going to be a problem for them.
But this follows a very important vote that we did see a few hours ago that had to clear a higher vote hurdle of 60 votes. It passed 63-33 with the support of six Republicans. So what we know -- it's kind of in a way I guess you could say a foregone conclusion. We know that this vote is going to pass. Make no mistake about it, Drew; this remains a very controversial issue. I thought it was very interesting when we were listening to Senator Joe Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut who votes generally with Democrats, especially on issues like this, he said this is about righting a wrong.
But we heard from Senator John McCain, obviously a Republican, and he said this is a distraction and we're concerned that it's going to cost lives. This is still very much a controversial issue, even as the Senate is poised to repeal don't ask, don't tell and send this to the president's desk, Drew.
GRIFFIN: Brianna, I had not heard a lot from the Republicans, Mitch McConnell in particular, about this. They had six Republicans cross over and vote with the Democrats on this. Have you gotten any reaction there?
KEILAR: No. I think we're going to be getting some more reaction as this passes because even though, as we've said, it's pretty obvious that this is going to be moving along here, the moment is going to come here momentarily. I believe actually they're proceeding here through this vote. Then we're going to get the actual reaction to when it really does clear the Senate.
GRIFFIN: All right. Stand by, Brianna. Because we're going to be watching this through the hour. Maybe even the next few minutes as history is being made.
Mean while, we want to bring in our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr. Barbara Starr has been reporting on don't ask, don't tell, for I don't want to say how many years, Barbara. Can you believe we're on the verge of perhaps getting rid of this?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Drew, this is a historic moment. I think for myself and pretty much anybody else who covers the military, the bottom line is, let's be very clear here. We have all known gay and lesbian members of the United States military. We have watched as they have been fearful of basically being booted out of military service against their will. This is a moment of history.
There are many countries, many military services, around the world that have already done this and moved along and had no issues. The thing to watch here, many people will say, people like Senator John McCain, is the reaction from the front line combat forces, especially the front line units in the army and the Marine Corps. The Marine Corps commandant, General James Amos has expressed very deep reservations about this move, saying he fears it will be a distraction to marines fighting in Afghanistan.
But the vote is going to move ahead. So what happens next? What will the Pentagon do next? Well under this law that's about to pass, it will begin to work on planning getting ready to help educate and train the troops, change any policies and procedures. Then they have to certify that through the president and then it all goes into effect 60 days after certification. So already gay and lesbian members are still being cautioned until all of that is done, it's not done just yet.
GRIFFIN: Barbara, to go back when this all started 17 years ago, a Bill Clinton policy basically, to allow gays to stay in the military as long as they didn't tell anybody they were gay, would you say -- I mean, the country has moved and also hasn't the military itself moved in a way to looking at gays more openly and more welcome?
STARR: Well, you know, the Pentagon finished that months-long survey asking the force, asking military troops, surveying them and their families about what they thought about all of this. And overwhelmingly the troops said for them it wasn't a big deal. You have to remember, the U.S. military is mainly full of young people who have grown up in a circumstance in this country where this is not an issue anywhere in society really these days, except in the U.S. military.
I think it's very fair to say some of the older people in more senior positions are very privately expressing their reservations. I can tell you besides General Amos there are certainly are other senior officers with stars on their shoulders who have reservations and some who don't. So perhaps the military does what it normally does. It reflects society and reflects the changing sort of priorities, values, and societal beliefs. I think a good deal of the younger people in the U.S. military really have moved beyond this issue. That's what the survey that the Pentagon conducted really seemed to reflect, Drew.
GRIFFIN: All right. Barbara Starr, our Pentagon correspondent. Barbara I'm sure they'll just follow the orders no matter what Congress tells them to do and tell them to do it well.
Let's bring in Karen MaGinnis who as we're watching this historic vote on Capitol Hill, Karen, there's been tons and tons of snow falling out west.
KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. This will rival significant rain and snow event that we saw across the west coast back in 2005 where there was lots of flooding. Right now there are reports that they are telling folks in these central valley regions where to get sandbags. That's what the danger is that we're looking at now. Look at some of the rainfall totals, over half a foot at Nature Point. Now, we have seen lesser amounts and certainly before this storm system is over with we're going to see significant amounts more. Area of low pressure just kind of parked off the Pacific Northwest coast, and we're watching this pineapple express as it's known, this long fetch of moisture coming in off the Pacific. So just copious amounts of moisture, and this system isn't going to budge a lot.
This area of low pressure is going to spin off other little systems that will kind of reinforce the cold air, reinforce that moisture and make things very miserable, especially if you're traveling along interstate 80 from Sacramento to Reno. The winds will get you. Also the flooding rains. You go into those higher elevations and you're going to see significant snowfall. What do we mean by significant snowfall? You could see up to 10 feet before it's all said and done as we close in across Christmas Eve.
Here are some of the wind gusts. Nothing terribly dramatic right now, generally speaking 30 to close to 50 miles an hour. But this area of low pressure, we've got a very strong pressure gradient here, as a result, this moisture is going to be intensified over the next couple of days. Generally what we're looking at is through the Sierra, Nevada, the Cascades, even if standing over to the Great Basin, this is a significant rain/snow event as we say, Drew. It's not letting up at least over the next three to five days.
GRIFFIN: All right. Karen thanks a lot for that. We'll keep track of that through the rest of this weekend.
Tensions on the North Korean -- the Korean. South Korea is planning for another military exercise.
Meanwhile New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson is meeting with North Korea leaders. They are going to talk about that volatile region right after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: We're going to take it live to the Senate floor. They are voting actually right now on the don't ask, don't tell resolution. This would be the effort to repeal it. We're told there's about nine minutes left in the voting. As soon as it ends, we're going to give you the final count. That's basically history in the making there, it is going to be allowing gays in the military to serve openly. Openly. And we will bring that to you as it happens.
New Mexico's Governor Bill Richardson in North Korea trying to calm tensions in that volatile part of the world. Today South Korea actually postponed a live artillery exercise only because of bad weather we're told. Richardson urging both North and South Korea to show maximum restraint. CNN's Wolf Blitzer is the only television correspondent traveling with Richardson. Here's what he told us about the high-level meetings taking place.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN CORRESINDENT: Earlier today he met with the Chief Nogethatore Kim Deyrun (ph), and if they elaborate those meteors are going to continue. Now Sunday morning local time he's going to meet with the top military official in charge of the DMZ and armistice. And that's going to be a critically important meeting because Richardson is aggressively pushing for some serious restraint on the part of the North Koreans. I know they're going to be very happy that the weather has delayed any South Korean military maneuvers at this point.
GRIFFIN: North Korea is threatening a military response if South Korea goes ahead with those live artillery exercises. This is what happened the last time South Korea did it. The North Koreans bombed that island. So the stakes could be higher. Joining me to talk about the escalating tensions are John Park, director of the Korea Working Group at the U.S. Institute of Peace. John, I'll get right to the question that a lot of people are asking me. What is this all about? Is this indeed rising tensions between these two or just continuing tensions and what could the resolution possibly be other than, quite frankly, the north and south shoot it out?
JOHN PARK, U.S. INSTITUTE OF PEACE: Drew, that's a very important question. You know, in some respects this looks like an ongoing dispute between the two Koreas so more of the same in terms of these exchange of verbal barbs as well as even exchange of fire. But what's different this time is that both sides, both South Korea and North Korea, have basically stated that if there is an incident they will retaliate on a much larger scale.
So the probability of escalation has not been higher than it is now. And the area in which these barbs are being exchanged and the exercise will be conducted is a northern limit line area, this is a line that denotes the maritime boundary that South Korean and the international community recognizes. What's underreported is that there's also a second line, this recognized by the North Koreans, and that one is called a military demarcation line. So when you hear the North Koreans are saying that even though the South Koreans are going to do the military exercise, southward away from the North Korean the North Koreans are saying these shells will land in North Korean territory waters. This is a very vicious circle in terms of the escalation of tensions.
And it seems like both sides have backed themselves into a political corner that if one or the other fires, to save face, the other one has to fire back. Which, John, is why I don't understand more diplomacy is not being done. We have Bill Richardson done over there, but I'm not sure who sent him.
Governor Richardson is on a private visit. He's been trying to go to North Korea for many months now. This is coincidental that he's in North Korea at this particular point in time. Frankly, we're very lucky that the weather with has delayed the South Korean artillery exercise, but we've seen a great deal of diplomatic efforts by China and Russia in both capitals, Beijing and Moscow, the foreign ministries there have called in the South Korean ambassador trying to get the South Koreans to postpone, even cancel these artillery exercises. But Korea is in a position where there is tremendous domestic pressure to show South Koreans are tough.
GRIFFIN: I mean the South Koreans are kind of sick of getting beaten up by the North Koreans. North Koreans just seem to do what ever they want, and any time there whenever there's a strike attempted by the South Korea, everybody calls in the ambassador and say, please be the calmer head here.
PARK: It is in many respects a situation that has increased in volatility because if you look at this disputed maritime area, before there were naval skirmishes. So you would have naval vessels going against -- a North Korean navy that is falling apart. What's difference this time is they're using land-based artillery batteries. From that perspective, if you do have this retaliation from the South Korean side in response to a North Korean response, we have now what the South Koreans have made very clear, that they'll carry out an air strike against the North Koreans.
GRIFFIN: All right. John Park, with the U.S. Institute of Peace, boy, we pray for peace, John. At least some diplomacy. Thanks for joining us on the Korean tensions.
Coming up, we're going to be right back. Stick around for the Bowen Beer Bottle Band. I don't know what that is either, but we're going to find out right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: We have breaking news right now. We want to get right down to the well of the Senate where Senators are voting on the historic repeal of the don't ask, don't tell policy, a vote we expect to pass as the Senators voted 63-33 to end closure on this issue earlier in the day. That was the big hurdle. We have Brianna Keilar watching along with us on Capitol Hill. Brianna, bring us up to speed on what's happening right now and how much time is left.
KEILAR: Actually, the clock has I believe run out at this time, but the vote is still going on. We're listening to it come in as we speak. This is the vote on final passage of the repeal of don't ask, don't tell that would allow gays and lesbians in the military to be openly gay or lesbian and take away the policy that has been in effect for 17 years at this point.
Yes, this is -- this is a simple majority is all that is needed to push this out of Congress. So of course we're expecting that this is going to happen. It's already passed the House. This step would take it out of the Senate. Then it goes to President Obama's desk. We are trying to figure out, you know Drew, and there were six Republicans who joined all of the Democrats voting to pass that over the key procedural threshold earlier. We're trying to find out if maybe the numbers are a little different here. Maybe more people, more Republicans would join in voting for this repeal, and we're awaiting the vote to come down to see how that shakes out.
GRIFFIN: I mean, this is a policy that's been in place -- was put in place by President Clinton, Democrat, which is interesting. It was a campaign promise to get rid of by the current Democratic president, President Obama. I imagine President Obama is over there licking the top of his pen, can't wait to sign this thing. If it does get out of the Senate. Interesting that six in the end Senators, Republican side, came over. Two of them Brianna, were somewhat of a surprise to me. Mark Kirk of Illinois and George Benovich of Ohio. KEILAR: Yes, that's right. We knew there was that there were four Republican Senators who had publicly committed to saying, I will vote yes to this. Because of that we knew the Democrats had the support that they needed. Those four were, of course, the Senators from Maine, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins as well as Scott Brown from Massachutes and Lisa Laskowsk (ph) Senator Kirk and Boynevich (ph) we weren't expected per se. They hadn't publicly committed but I wouldn't say that we were completely surprised that it went beyond those four. There was some conjecture about maybe there would be some other Republicans that would join in. In the end, there was a couple, Drew.
GRIFFIN: Now, so the voting -- the time has run out. What are we exactly waiting for, Brianna?
STARR: We're waiting for them all to turn in their homework is kind of how I put it. Yes, they're not -- not all of them have voted. Maybe some of them -- this is one vote. They've made their way to the floor. This is a very sprawling campus here on Capitol Hill. So some people are just showing up now and casting their vote. So it's just something that kind of takes some time and it's sort of -- there are stragglers I guess you could say.
GRIFFIN: That's why we're waiting for the final vote to shake out. Barbara Starr has also joined us watching this historic vote. This is a policy, Barbara; it hasn't been against the law to serve in the military if you are gay, which has been so confusing. It's only been against the law to actually say you are gay. Which has long been thought of as just kind of a "what the heck" kind of thing to Americans across the country. As we talked earlier, the military itself has kind of caught up with the thinking itself, especially the young soldiers of today.
STARR: I think that's really right, Drew. You know, the times in this country have changed in the last 17 years from the standpoint people have their personal views, people have their personal opinions, but there's a good deal of society that sort of scratches its head and says, huh? How did this go on for the last 17 years? And, I mean, let's again be clear. There are views on all sides on this issue, but the overwhelming point is whether or not there is illegal discrimination.
Because the backdrop that has occurred here in the last several months there have been a number of court rulings around the country, especially in the federal circuit court out in California, that have said this is illegal discrimination. And what the government was facing was the possibility of a final court ruling, possibly as far as the Supreme Court, saying this is illegal.
And that would have meant the military with no notice; no preparation would have simply faced a change in the law. That's what the Obama administration didn't want. Their feeling was if they had a sudden change that would be disruptive; nobody would really know how to react to it. So they came up with this plan of assessment, certification, and getting it through Congress and then once everything is certified just being ready to go 60 days later it goes into effect. That was the compromise because of how federal law was shaping up, this trail of court cases saying this is illegal, this cannot continue. That perhaps the deepest reflection of what has really been going on in this country.
GRIFFIN: Right. Barbara, hold on a second. Brianna, if anything happens, jump in, OK?
KEILAR: I sure will.
GRIFFIN: So we know what's going on. Barbara, two questions. Number one, John McCain, Senator from Arizona, said today, look, if we pass this thing, it could very well mean the lives of marines overseas. I don't get the connection. Can you help explain his feelings?
STARR: Sure, Drew. What Senator McCain appears to be referring to are some comments that have been made by the commandant of the Marine Corps, only been in the job for several weeks, General James Amos? He has said that when he reads the survey that the Pentagon did with the troops about what they thought, he sees a level of opposition in the Marine Corps, especially in those who serve in front line units. General Amos has said publicly and openly his concern is that this would be a distraction, this change in the force, that it might -- I mean, it's hard for me to describe because it's -- General Amos has been unable to specifically pinpoint what he thinks the distraction would be.
Nonetheless, he said it; it would be a distraction to the force. He went further to say that he didn't want to wind up visiting troops in the hospital with no legs; I believe those were his words, because they might have been distracted at some point coping with their anxiety or their concerns or their uncertainties if there was this change in the law. That has been seized upon, if you will, I think it's fair to say, by those who oppose a change in the law. Their opposition seems to center around the issue that in a time of war it's not the time to make such a fundamental change in how the military is structured and how people serve in the military, that the force is already stretched to the limit.
That troops out there are coping with everything that they can, and they don't need one more thing to cope with. People who support it would say, but, wait a minute. The majority of the troops say there is nothing to cope with, that this is not an issue for a majority of young people in this country. Again, let's emphasize, everyone has an opinion, everyone thinks what they think. But underlying all of this I come back to the original point you and I were discussing.
The federal courts in this country are beginning to issue a number of rulings saying it is illegal discrimination. That is a point of law of federal consideration in this country, not a point of personal opinion. If the courts were going to make that final ruling its illegal that would pretty much be it.
GRIFFIN: All right. Barbara, one more question. Maybe you'd know the answer, maybe you don't. Quick answer, though. I believe there's 14,000 members of the military who have been kicked out under this policy, correct? STARR: I'm going to be honest -- yes, somewhere in that range. For the last several months, however, very few Secretary Gates has tried to put a break on that within with the department.
GRIFFIN: My question is, a lot of them are very patriotic people, some of them who want to serve again. The people you've talked to, if this does pass, which we expect, the president signs it into law, will a lot of those people come back to the military?
STARR: You know, at least some of them who are still young enough, able enough, to serve have publicly indicated they will try to rejoin. Nothing will preclude them from rejoining but the Pentagon has already stated nobody gets automatically reinstated. You have to reenlist, if you will, demonstrate that you are still physically able to serve, that you meet the physical requirements, all of the requirements that everybody has to meet when they join the United States military, Drew.
GRIFFIN: All right. Barbara thanks. Stand by. Brianna, they still handing in their homework down there?
KEILAR: Yes, they are still handing in their homework. We're waiting for the final votes on this. Even though the clock has run out, it's still open at this point, Drew, as we just wait for obviously there are some Senators who haven't -- here we go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wish to change their vote? Hearing none, the chair will remind the galleries that expressions of approval or disapproval are not in order. On the question before us, the yeas are 65, the nays 31. The motion to concur in the House amendment to Senate amendment to House Resolution 2965 is adopted.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: Brianna, they picked up two more votes, 65- 31. It passes.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They picked up two more votes. I'm actually in the process of trying to figure out exactly who those two votes are. In fact, Drew, because I was talking to you as some of the roll call was being called there. But just to point -- you know what? Let's go ahead and listen to Senate Majority Leader Reid.
HARRY REID, SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: We would hope at or near 2:00 to have a series of at least three votes, and today as we indicated earlier we're basically through here today except for wrap-up.
KEILAR: OK. So, Drew --
REID: Yes, we do have that minor technicality.
KEILAR: OK, Drew, I think they're actually going to be moving on to some other things. They're going to moving on to deal with the START Treaty, that nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russia, but this is the wrap-up here, 65-31 on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
I should tell you that we're expecting momentarily a press conference from the co-sponsors on this bill, Joe Lieberman who is an independent, but caucuses with the Democrats, and Susan Collins, one of the Republicans who obviously voted with the several Republicans who were with on board here.
But, yes, two more votes were picked up. This continues to be a very contentious issue. You heard Barbara talking about some of the concerns certainly in the Marine Corps and there is that concern that Senator John Mccain has that he's afraid this is going to be a distraction that costs lives.
What we're going to be hearing from Senator Lieberman and Senator Collins is that they feel like it's kind of about time, that this is righting a wrong and that this is discrimination that has been sanctioned within the U.S. military and that it needs to end.
Barbara mentioned some of the activity that's been going on in courts. As you know, drew, the legislature is not really a branch of government that really wants to abdicate any of its power to the courts. That's part of the reason this has moved forward and why this has been relatively bipartisan.
GRIFFIN: All right. Brianna, thanks for that. We'll stick with you too. I want to get over to Kate though who is at the White House.
Kate, they couldn't cheer in the gallery in the Senate, but do you hear any pots and pans banging inside the White House? Finally, President Obama gets at least one break.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It may be quiet. I am outside and those White House walls can be very thick, but I'm sure you can imagine there are a lot of happy people and smiling faces within this administration right now.
It seems at this moment at least -- we'll see how things turn out in the final days of the 111th Congress, but this is two for three for this president. He got that very big tax cut deal, and now this. This is a -- President Obama, he issued a statement after the procedural vote earlier today, Drew.
In that procedural vote, he even called a historic step, saying that it is time to, as he said, it's time to close this chapter in our history. Well, at least from the perspective of this White House and this administration, it seems they have done just that and finally seeing passage of the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
I expect we'll get a statement from the White House soon. It hasn't popped into my Blackberry yet,, but we're going to assume that the president will want to get to signing this repeal as soon as possible, but I wouldn't think -- it's unlikely that it would be today in the very least.
So this is a very big moment for this president not only as a supporter of repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in the military, but also because this was a very big campaign promise, a vow that the president took starting all the way back on the campaign trail.
His presidential campaign trail, Drew, where he said he would repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Over the past couple of years, it has become a source of tension and frustration with the gay and lesbian community who thought that President Obama had kind of turned a blind eye to what he had promised on the campaign trail as they had supported him in his presidential bid.
So this a very big moment for this White House, you can imagine, on this chilly Saturday morning.
GRIFFIN: All right. Kate, thanks a lot. Hey, Barbara Starr, I just want to get your thoughts. It is rather historic. Barbara, I want to pick up on what the opposition was talking about, that somehow or another that the fighting soldiers will with be distracted by all of this.
You know, it comes to my attention that the fighting soldiers that I know, when they're fighting, aren't distracted about anything. I just wonder what your thoughts are on that whether or not -- you've been to Afghanistan many, many, many times and have been so close to the military folks.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): I think you're right, Drew. You know, we came back from Afghanistan just a few weeks ago, and you ask anybody who's out there something about this and they look at you like you have two heads. Sorry I haven't given it much thought out here. I'm a little busy.
This is not a front and center issue for them. I must tell you I've just received on my Blackberry as we do these days in the news media a statement from Defense Secretary Robert Gates saying, in part, I welcome today's vote by the Senate, clearing the way for a legislative repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
He goes on to say, once the legislation is signed into law by the president, the Pentagon will proceed immediately with the planning necessary to carry this out. Let me remind everybody, what the secretary is talking about is the law that was passed just now. It will with be signed into law by the president.
The Pentagon will then spend some period of months getting ready for it, doing the policies, the regulations, everything that needs to be done. They will then certify and the president, secretary of defense and the chairman of the joint Chiefs Of Staff will have to certify to Congress that the military is ready for this, that it will not impact military readiness, that the military can cope with it, and 60 days after that certification, once and for all, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is gone. Drew -
GRIFFIN: All right. Barbara Starr, thank you so much. Let's get right back to the White House. There's been some reaction coming out of there. Kate Bolduan --
BOLDUAN: As a sign of the times, the first information we're getting out from this White House comes from a tweet by White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, Drew. Going off the point of Barbara's talking about. There is this process that must go into place to actually have the repeal take into effect. To get that ball rolling, the president has to sign the repeal. According to Robert Gibbs' tweet, it says the president is to sign the new law next week. There's our first initial guidance of when we could see a signing, maybe a signing ceremony or maybe it will be a quieter ceremony, but regardless, we'll see this repeal signed next week.
GRIFFIN: All right. Kate, thank you so much. Kate Bolduan, Brianna Keilar in Capital Hill and Barbara Starr, our Pentagon correspondent. Again, the Senate voting to end "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," 65-31 is the final vote. It just happened on the floor of the Senate. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: I want to tell you. We're waiting for a news conference up on Capitol Hill. The senators who helped pass this repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Senators Liebermann and Susan Collins, one of the Republicans who one of six who voted for this to push it over the edge.
As we do wait for that, let's bring in Aaron Belkin who studies, I guess, gays in the military at UC Santa Barbara. You've studied "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" for more than a decade now. Let me just first get your reaction to what's happened in Washington this afternoon.
AARON BELKIN, DIRECTOR, THE PALM CENTER, UCSB: Well, I was listening to the feed a minute ago on my earpiece and I teared up so that's my reaction. This is a historic day and some people don't realize, but the first soldier kicked out of the military for being gay was 232 years ago. So it's been a very long march towards equality.
GRIFFIN: And do you expect the military to implement this immediately and accept it fully?
BELKIN: The military will accept it fully. As for timing, that's going to be the next round of debate. Frankly, the secretaries and the militaries demands for an extended period of time to "get ready" or prepare or train are not at all based on what they need.
That is unfortunately political obstructionism from the service chiefs. The military can train the entire forces in a matter of weeks and in fact the troops don't need to be trained on how to deal with gays and lesbians.
They're already serving with gays and lesbians today and they're interacting just fine. So what the research shows is that if they go quickly they won't have a problem.
GRIFFIN: Based on your research m -- we've been talk about this with Barbara Starr from her observations out in Afghanistan especially -- the younger troops don't really consider this an issue at all.
BELKIN: Well, 70 percent of the troops told the Pentagon surveyors that they already serve with gays and of those 92 percent say that they don't have a problem. That as you say includes our combat forces and Marines in Afghanistan and Iraq.
So you're right. Frankly, the crazy rhetoric that we hear from opponents does not at all match the data or the reality on the ground. This is not going to be a problem. It was not a problem for our 25 allies who changed and it's not going to be a problem for us.
GRIFFIN: Aaron, I want to read for you what -- we just got a statement from Secretary Robert Gates, the secretary says, I welcome today's vote by the Senate clearing the way for a legislative repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Once this legislation is signed into law by the president, the Department Of Defense will immediately proceed with the planning necessary to carry out this change carefully and methodically but purposefully.
He writes that, as I have stated before, I will approach this process deliberately and will make such certification only after careful consultation with the military service chiefs and our combatant commanders.
And when I am satisfied with those conditions have been met for all the services, commands and units, it is therefore important our men and women in uniform understand that while today's historic vote means that this policy will change, the implementation and certification process will with take an additional period of time.
In the meantime, the current law and policy will remain in effect. I know you have a point of view here, Aaron, but what possibly is he talking about?
BELKIN: Well, it's not a point of view actually. It's based on the data and the research. The Pentagon doesn't need to plan for repeal. The Pentagon was forced to repeal the ban for about a week two months ago by a court order, and the secretary predicted there would be enormous consequences. That's a quote.
In fact, there were no disruptions whatsoever. What the research by the Rand Corporation and others shows is that if you want to open yourself up to problems, you'll do exactly what the secretary is recommending now, which is to go slowly.
If you want a smooth transition, you snap your fingers, issue the order, and you're done. That's the way to have a smooth transition and minimize disruption. That's what the research shows.
GRIFFIN: I guess, what I'm asking is, what - in the mind of Secretary Gates, what possible procedures need to change?
BELKIN: Well, again, this is not a legitimate need or call for proceedures or training. This is political obstructionism and frankly, the new regulations have already been drafted. The training module that they need to put in place to supposedly teach the troops how to deal with gays will last all of about two hours.
It's going to be a very simple training. The troops don't need a PhD on how to work with gays. If you actually read the Pentagon's 100- page implementation plan, it boils down to a simple message, just that they need strong leadership and a set of rules that apply to everybody.
But they already have strong leaders and a set of rules that apply to everybody. They could implement the policy change tomorrow without problem in the same way they did several months ago when the court order them to suspend the ban and they did without problem.
GRIFFIN: Aaron Belkin, thanks for joining us. Director of the Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military at the University of California Santa Barbara.
Josh, you've been monitoring all of the electronics over there to see what people are saying. What are people reacting to this?
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we've got two things going on. Let me fill you in. First of all, as you watch this breaking news that we've covering on TV, join us online as well. We've got fact checks for you. We've got a lot of information for you, other countries that have opened the gay. People serving in the military background and also the facts to go along with our coverage.
Now, what we're doing among other things is hearing from you. Let me show you some of the responses that we've been getting. We've been reaching out to you on Facebook and Twitter. Let's zoom in a little bit. Here are some of the Facebook posts we've been getting.
So far, and what hearing from here is supporting this. We want to hear from people on all sides. Patricia -- about time. This should have been done years ago. Alexis -- I don't care what happens in person's bedroom, only that their love for this country is sincere.
Stephen wrote woo hoo. Take a look here at Twitter now, long overdue. Anyone who wants to wear the uniform of our nation should be allowed to. That's also from Stephen. And my thought is it's about time from Joe.
These are the kinds of things that we are getting as we reach out to you. I'm showing you - I think I can show you my screen here. I'm at joshlevscnn. Go ahead and write us on Facebook and on Twitter. Join the discussion.
What we're also doing up there is we're putting links for you that can help you get information about the background on this and about the decision today. Also, as we learn how various lawmakers broke down, we're following that.
One more thing to tell you about, Drew, we were just hearing about this as well from our folks on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers are tweeting about this, officials are tweeting. I have open right here Robert Gibbs' tweet for us, which says, Senate by a vote of 65-31 has voted to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," joining the House, president to sign the new law next week.
We're in an era in which officials are tweeting and sending out Facebook messages and those are advancing the stories as well. So as soon as we get them, we're posting for you and I'll be right here, Drew. I'll keep coming back with viewer reactions on all sides of this and more context from the web here.
GRIFFIN: Josh, thanks. Robert Gibbs, if you're out there and want to do more than tweet, why don't step outside on the front lawn of the White House and talk to us about this. We'd love to hear from you and what president is thinking right at this moment.
Again, a historic change in the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy this afternoon in the Senate. It was repealed, 65-31 the final vote in the Senate. We're expecting to hear from Senators Lieberman and Collins on their votes, which was a big push to get this over the edge and end the policy begun 17 years ago. We'll be right back.
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GRIFFIN: Our top stories now, South Korea postponing military drills near an island, the same island North Korea attacked last month. The South Koreans held off on their artillery fire because of bad weather, nothing else, they say. North Korea has threatened new military strikes if South Korea goes ahead with those planned drills.
Meanwhile, New Mexico's Governor Bill Richardson is in North Korea right now, says he's hoping to smooth tensions. Our Wolf Blitzer, the only Western TV journalist, traveling with Richardson right now in North Korea.
The president of the Ivory Coast is ordering all United Nations peacekeepers to leave his country after the U.N. secretary-general told the - guys, we're going to break. We're go right now to Senators Lieberman and Collins.
SENATOR JOSEPH LIEBERMAN, (I) CONNECTICUT: -- to the passage of legislation in the Senate to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" by a vote of 65-31, really just 2/3 of the senators voting, voting for repeal was a thrilling day. Honestly, one of my best days in my 22 years in the Senate.
Not just because I was so committed to the cause, but because at a time when the people of our country are so justifiably cynical about the partisan politics that prevails so often here in Washington and stops us from getting anything done. We've come together and proven across party lines that you can get something done. There were eight Republicans who voted for repeal.
So this repeal would not have happened without the support of our Republican colleagues, led by Senator Susan Collins. I just feel great about it. It was the right thing to do for our military. It was the right thing to do for our country.
And I just stress again that perhaps as we enter the holidays now, it's also the best thing we could do to say to the American people that we're still able to come together in a bipartisan way to right a wrong and do something that's in the best interest of our country. Senator Collins --
SENATOR SUSAN COLLINS (R) MAINE: Thank you. Let me begin by saluting Senator Lieberman for his extraordinary leadership. He has been steadfast in his determination to repeal this unjust law and without his persistence we would not be standing here today.
I also want to thank Senator Udall and all of those who have worked so hard, but I particularly want to thank my Republican colleagues who voted in favor of repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." It was a difficult vote for many of them.
But in the end, they concluded, as I have concluded, that we should welcome the service of any qualified individual who is willing to put on the uniform of this country, fight for us in war zones such as Afghanistan and Iraq and put freedom on the line for us.
So I want to thank all of the gay men and women that are fighting for us today in Afghanistan and in Iraq. We honor your service and now we can do so openly. This is indeed an historic day, and I am just delighted with the strong bipartisan vote.
LIEBERMANN: Thanks, Susan. Senator Mark Udall has been a stalwart and steadfast partner in all this.
SENATOR MARK UDALL (D) NEW MEXICO: Thank you, Senator Liebermann. Thank you, Senator Collins. I'm flanked by two enormously courageous leaders. It's been a privilege for me to play a small role in this very important success today.
We just stood here and talking about a week ago and Senator Collins and Senator Lieberman came up with a way forward, which was to put a standalone bill in front of the Senate after the House considered the same bill.
I know we feel very, very grateful to the leadership of Patrick Murphy to Leader Hoyer on the house side, and to the Republicans who joined us today, I would echo what Senator Collins said, important and courageous votes.
Before I relinquish the lectern, I did want to mention the important leadership that Secretary Gates has brought to this important question, as well as Admiral Mullen. I leave his words will go down in history as getting to the core of this matter, which is if a young man or woman, in some cases not quite so young, want to serve our country, they shouldn't have to live a lie in order to act as a patriot would act.
So, again, I know we all three are loathe to credit what happen. We'll let the historians determine the impact of this, but this is a very, very important day for those Americans who want to defend our freedoms and serve us.
LIEBERMANN: Hear, hear. Open for questions if you have any. Yes?
QUESTION: How many gay people will now be getting medals as openly gay people and awards and held up as heroes?
LIEBERMANN: Well, the first interesting statistic is that in the survey that the Pentagon did -- I was very surprised that only 15 percent of the gay and lesbian soldiers surveyed said they would reveal their sexual orientation because they said it's a private matter, but nonetheless you're right.
More openly gay service people will be honored for their service as they should be and I think in that sense, two things. One is that we're going to be true to what America is supposed to be about. We're supposed to be about not who you are, but how you do your job and gay and lesbian Americans in the military will not be seen as gays and lesbians but as what they are, American soldiers.
GRIFFIN: Senator Joe Lieberman, who is obviously celebrating what he says is one of his best days in a 22-year Senate career, the passage of the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." We'll be right back with reaction after this.
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