Another Crack in the Dike

The Federal Marriage Amendment failed in the Senate on a "test" vote 49/48. Not even a majority and if the three absent Senators had voted, we would have picked up 1 more and gone 49/49 I think.

It needed 2/3. It didn't even make 1/2 of the whole Senate.

Ben Nelson (D-NE) voted for it as expected. His Republican counterpart Chuck Hagel had said he'd vote against it but he was traveling as were Chris Dodd and John Warner who probably would have cancelled each other out.

We picked up seven Republicans. McCain of Arizona, Specter of Pennsylvania, Snowe and Collins of Maine, Gregg and Sununu of New Hampshire, and Chaffee of Rhode Island. Gregg was unexpected but welcome.

They're all listed here in USA Today.

Brownback, the Senate's leading bigot, has said they will be back. It's not over but we can take a breath for now.

Ann