The Senate voted Saturday to repeal the ban on gays in the military, marking a major victory for gay rights and an impending end to the 17-year old "don't ask, don't tell" policy. 
 
 The bill now heads to President Barack Obama, who plans to sign it into law, overturning what repeal advocates believed was a discriminatory policy that has unfairly ended the careers of thousands of gay members of the military. 
 
 Text Size - 
 
 + 
 
 reset POLITICO 44 
 
 The 65-31 Senate vote marked a historic — and emotional — moment for the gay-rights movement and handed Obama a surprising political triumph in the closing days of the 111th Congress. The legislation had been left for dead as recently as last week when Senate Republicans blocked efforts to advance it. But on final passage, the bill won the support of eight Republicans, an unexpectedly high total. 
 
 The repeal, which will not take effect for many months, ushers in a major cultural shift for a military that has operated under the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy since the first year of former President Bill Clinton’s term. 
 
 Shortly after the final tally was announced, a handful of top White House officials, led by Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina and senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, congratulated and embraced gay-rights leaders who had gathered just off the Senate floor. 
 
 “It’s a historic moment,” said Jarrett, who had never attended a vote before. “It wouldn’t have happened without Congress, obviously, the president’s leadership and so many people across the country who became engaged in the issue. … Everybody played a vital role in today’s success.” 
 
 The Senate vote capped months of uncertainty about whether Congress or the federal courts, where gay-rights advocates are fighting the ban, would act first to repeal the policy. 
 
 The real drama had already come a few hours earlier when the repeal bill cleared a crucial procedural hurdle. The 63-33 cloture vote was three more than needed to beat back a Republican filibuster. 
 
 With support from all but one member of the Democratic Caucus and help from six Republicans, the stand-alone bill overcame the 60-vote threshold required to move forward. 
 
 The Republican senators who voted yes with the Democrats in the cloture vote were Mark Kirk of Illinois, Scott Brown of Massachusetts, George Voinovich of Ohio, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, both of Maine. 
 
 Sens. Richard Burr of North Carolina and John Ensign of Nevada joined the six other Republicans in bucking their party on the historic final vote. 
 
 “It was a difficult vote for many of them,” Collins, who introduced the legislation with Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), said of her GOP colleagues. “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 … and put freedom on the line for us.” 
 
 West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who previously stated his opposition to the repeal, was the only Democrat to miss the vote, because of a family “holiday gathering,” his spokeswoman said. 
 
 Obama called the Senate vote a “historic step” toward ending a discriminatory policy that weakens America’s national security and violates the ideals troops risk their lives to defend. ||||| From Jim Miklaszewski 
 
 Opponents of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy are celebrating today's Senate vote to dismantle the ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military, but the actual repeal of the law could take up to a year to go into full effect. 
 
 In its present form, the bill states that repeal will not take effect until 60 days after Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen and President Barack Obama "certify" that the U.S. military is prepared for implementation. 
 
 Secretary Gates has predicted that the process of certification could take up to a year. 
 
 So what happens next? 
 
 Under the expected procedure, the Defense Department will conduct servicewide training and education for all active duty, reserve and national guard forces, and make whatever adjustments in procedures and facilities are necessary. Only then would Gates and Mullen certify the military is prepared to implement the repeal. 
 
 During that process, the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel would also issue a servicewide memo instructing any gay or lesbian servicemembers not to openly declare their sexual orientation because they could potentially be subject to separation from the military. 
 
 The reality is, however, that under the more stringent guidelines for enforcement of the law implemented in October, there have been no servicemembers discharged from the military. So it would be unlikely that anyone would be forced out of the military during the certification process. 
 
 Msnbc.com's Carrie Dann contributed. ||||| The Senate has voted to overturn the military's ban on openly gay troops and sent the bill to President Barack Obama. 
 
 Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., walks near the floor of the Senate on Capitol Hill in Washington Saturday, Dec. 18, 2010, during a rare Saturday session to finish the year's legislative business. Senators... (Associated Press) 
 
 Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., left, and Senate Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., right, with Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, center, head to a news conference about the "Don't... (Associated Press) 
 
 Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., left, and Senate Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., go to a news conference about the Don't Ask Don't Tell bill on an unusual Saturday session on Capitol Hill in Washington... (Associated Press) 
 
 Senate Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., left, with Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., speaks at a news conference about the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" bill during an unusual Saturday session on Capitol Hill... (Associated Press) 
 
 Senate Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., from right, speaks as he stands with Sen. Joesph Lieberman, I-Conn., Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., and Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., at a news conference about... (Associated Press) 
 
 He's expected to sign it into law next week, ending the 17-year policy known as "don't ask, don't tell." 
 
 The Senate vote was 65-31. The House had passed an identical version of the bill by a 250-175 vote earlier in the week. 
 
 Repeal would mean that, for the first time in American history, gays would be openly accepted by the military and could acknowledge their sexual orientation without fear of being kicked out. 
 
 More than 13,500 service members have been dismissed under the 1993 law. 
 
 THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. 
 
 WASHINGTON (AP) _ In a landmark for gay rights, the Senate on Saturday voted to let gays serve openly in the military, giving President Barack Obama the chance to fulfill a campaign promise and repeal the 17-year policy known as "don't ask, don't tell." 
 
 Obama was expected to sign it next week, although the change wouldn't take immediate effect. The legislation says the president and his top military advisers must certify that lifting the ban won't hurt troops' fighting ability. After that, there's a 60-day waiting period for the military. 
 
 "It is time to close this chapter in our history," Obama said in a statement after a test vote cleared the way for final action. "It is time to recognize that sacrifice, valor and integrity are no more defined by sexual orientation than they are by race or gender, religion or creed." 
 
 The Senate vote was 65-31. The House had passed an identical version of the bill, 250-175, on Wednesday. 
 
 Repeal would mean that, for the first time in American history, gays would be openly accepted by the military and could acknowledge their sexual orientation without fear of being kicked out. 
 
 More than 13,500 service members have been dismissed under the 1993 law. 
 
 Rounding up a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate was a historic victory for Obama, who made repeal a campaign promise in 2008. It also was a political triumph for congressional Democrats who struggled in the final hours of the postelection session to overcome GOP objections on several legislative priorities before Republicans regain control of the House in January. 
 
 "As Barry Goldwater said, 'You don't have to be straight to shoot straight,'" said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., referring to the late GOP senator from Arizona. 
 
 Sen. John McCain, Obama's GOP rival in 2008, led the opposition. The Arizona Republican acknowledged he didn't have the votes to stop the bill and he blamed elite liberals with no military experience for pushing their social agenda on troops during wartime. 
 
 "They will do what is asked of them," McCain said of service members. "But don't think there won't be a great cost." 
 
 In the end, six GOP senators broke with their party on the procedural vote to let the bill move ahead and swung behind repeal after a recent Pentagon study concluded the ban could be lifted without hurting the ability of troops to fight. 
 
 Advocacy groups who lobbied hard for repeal hailed the vote as a significant step forward in gay rights. The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network called the issue the "defining civil rights initiative of this decade." 
 
 Supporters of repeal filled the visitor seats overlooking the Senate floor, ready to protest had the bill failed. 
 
 "This has been a long fought battle, but this failed and discriminatory law will now be history," said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign. 
 
 The Pentagon study found that two-thirds of service members didn't think changing the law would have much of an effect. But of those who did predict negative consequences, a majority were assigned to combat arms units. Nearly 60 percent of the Marine Corps and Army combat units, such as infantry and special operations, said in the survey they thought repealing the law would hurt their units' ability to fight. 
 
 The Pentagon's uniformed chiefs are divided on whether this resistance might pose serious problems. 
 
 Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos has said he thinks lifting the ban during wartime could cost lives. 
 
 "I don't want to lose any Marines to the distraction," he told reporters this week. "I don't want to have any Marines that I'm visiting at Bethesda (Naval Medical Center) with no legs be the result of any type of distraction." 
 
 Adm. Mike Mullen and Marine Gen. James Cartwright, the chairman and vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, respectively, have said the fear of disruption is overblown. They note the Pentagon's finding that 92 percent of troops who believe they have served with a gay person saw no effect on their units' morale or effectiveness. Among Marines in combat roles who said they have served alongside a gay person, 84 percent said there was no impact. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Online: 
 
 Pentagon study: http://tinyurl.com/23lxc49 
 
 Servicemembers Legal Defense Network: http://www.sldn.org/ 
 
 Information on the bill, H.R. 2965, can be found at http://thomas.loc.gov
– Almost a formality after this morning's successful vote to kill a Republican filibuster, but historic nonetheless: The Senate repealed the military's ban on openly gay service members this afternoon by a vote of 65-31, reports AP. President Obama is expected to sign the bill into law next week, though it could take up to a year for Don't Ask, Don't Tell to be formally lifted because of military reviews required by law, notes MSNBC. “We righted a wrong,” said Joe Lieberman, who with Susan Collins co-sponsored the measure. “Today we’ve done justice.” In the end, eight Republicans joined Democrats, including the expected (Collins, Olympia Snowe, George Voinovich, Lisa Murkowski, and Scott Brown) and the day's surprises (Richard Burr, John Ensign, and Mark Kirk), notes Politico.