4:08 pm ET: A key procedural vote on the bill containing a repeal of the military's Don't Ask Don't Tell policy failed Thursday, likely dealing a final blow to advocates who hoped to overturn the 17-year old ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military during this session of Congress. Democrats needed 60 votes to advance the Defense Authorization bill for debate on the floor. “I’m extremely disappointed that the Senate majority leader walked away from negotiations in which we were engaged and which were going well.” 
 
 
 
 A spokesman for Senator Harry Reid, the majority leader, said Mr. Reid will co-sponsor the stand-alone legislation. I urge the Senate to revisit these important issues during the lame duck session.” 
 
 Mr. Reid had called for the procedural vote on the overall defense bill despite having failed to reach agreement with the Republicans on how to proceed. Collins said that she was "very disappointed" that Reid "walked away from negotiations" and brought the bill up for a vote before an agreement on the process of the debate had been reached and the 60 votes needed to move forward were assured. One newly elected Democrat, Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, also voted against the measure.
– Repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell will get another chance. Republican Susan Collins and Independent Joe Lieberman say they plan to introduce a stand-alone measure in the lame-duck session, and Harry Reid says he's on board, reports MSNBC. It's no gimme by any stretch—opponents could try to talk it to death with amendments, for one thing, notes the Times—but "we're not going to give up," says Lieberman. Assuming it comes up after the tax issue is settled, it could theoretically pick up three decisive pro-repeal votes from Scott Brown, Lisa Murkowski, and Dick Lugar, writes Greg Sargent at his Plum Line blog. The measure that failed today (by three votes) was part of a larger defense bill, and Harry Reid knew it was going to fail when he brought it up for vote, writes Sargent. So why did he do it? He figured it was doomed anyway—that even if he had agreed to Collins' demands for four days of debate, others wouldn't abide by that deal. "You can talk about four days until the cows come home," an aide tells Sargent. "That has very little meaning for Coburn and DeMint and others who have become very skilled at grinding this place to a halt."