On The Ground

I just got off the phone with a "don't ask, don't tell" repeal activist, working on the grassroots effort in Maine. (He wasn't authorized, by his organization, to speak for attribution.) A few quick impressions:

--The landscape, as he described it, seems fluid and uncertain. He seemed not to have any idea how Sens. Collins and Snowe will ultimately vote.

--He noted that there's, "a lot of politics on the table." And he didn't rule out the possibility that the junior senator was using repeal as a pawn in a larger political game relating to tax cuts, etc.

--He was skeptical of the idea that Congress would stay in session longer to get repeal done. He didn't use the words "now or never" but that's the impression that came through.

--He said that throughout the afternoon, he and his colleagues will continue to connect with Mainers, urging them to make phone calls and write e-mails to both senators.