During Homecoming Week in 2006, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., visited Iowa State as a part of MSNBC’s Hardball college tour, during which he said he supported gay marriage and allowing gays to serve openly in the military, so long as military leadership approved.

This fall, McCain blocked attempts to bring the Defense Authorization Bill to a vote in the Senate, because it included the full repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which bars homosexual men and women from serving in the military openly. At that time, McCain said he wanted to wait for the study being conducted by the Department of Defense about the consequences of full repeal of DADT.

The study was released in November and found a clear majority would not have a problem with a full repeal. A survey of military service persons, leaders and spouses concluded it would have a minimal effect on the units. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen put their support behind repealing DADT, now citing the survey’s results.

Last week, an attempt to vote on the bill in Senate failed again, despite Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman and Republican Sen. Susan Collins breaking ranks to vote with Democrats in support. And although he did not vote to move forward on a vote, Republican Sen. Scott Brown said he also believes DADT should be repealed in the near future.

“It is my hope that this report encourages the Senate to move forward with the Defense Authorization bill,” said Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., House speaker. “The House passed legislation months ago and by a significant margin. Moving forward to end the days of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ will honor the service and sacrifice of all who dedicate their lives to protecting the American people.”

What is holding back opponents like McCain is their claim it would not be appropriate to repeal the policy during a time of war.

The report found a very minimal risk to actually repealing DADT, but Family Research Council president Tony Perkins said, “No level of risk should be acceptable merely to advance a radical social agenda.”

Perkins, a man who spent time and thousands of dollars in Iowa to oust three Supreme Court justices this fall, is also a Marine Corps veteran.

“They failed to address the central question: whether overturning the current law would enhance our nation’s ability to fight and win wars,” Perkins said. “By beginning with the premise that the law would be overturned and exploring only how to implement such a change, the conclusion that such a change would be feasible was foreordained.”

One Iowa, the state’s largest gay rights advocacy group, has been putting out the call to its supporters to call Iowa Congressmen and urge a fair vote on the repeal.

“I’m incredibly disappointed that some would rather play politics with our national security than to move forward with an orderly repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,'” said Carolyn Jenison, One Iowa executive director, in a statement. She declared the Senate should stay in session as long as necessary to break the impasse and move forward with repeal.

This goes back to the conviction by nearly all Republican senators who vow not to allow a vote on anything until legislation has been passed to address the Bush-era tax cuts, set to expire Dec. 31. Although a compromise has been reached by the White House and Republicans, led by efforts on the part of vice president Joe Biden, Democrats are still not satisfied and some are threatening to filibuster.

Still, McCain said he’s opposed regardless of the tax cut issue. He now considers the study flawed and despite multiple hearings with Congress over the past year, he wants more.

“Repeal of the law will not prove unacceptable risk to military readiness,” Mullen told a Senate panel. “Unit cohesion will not suffer if our units are well-led. And families will not encourage their loved ones to leave the service in droves.”

Even McCain’s wife, Cindy, appeared in a video saying the military policy banning homosexuals from serving openly was the government treating gays as “second-class citizens.”

The Arizona senator and former presidential candidate was also a Navy pilot during the Vietnam War. He defends his opposition by saying the effort to repeal DADT is driven by politics.

“You do not have to agree with me on this issue,” Mullen said to McCain in a testimony. “But don’t think for one moment that I haven’t carefully considered the impact of the advice I give on those who will have to live with the decisions that advice informs.”

Last week activists protested in Washington, D.C., and chanted “Don’t go home” until DADT is repealed.

Lieberman vowed to bring a stand-alone bill to repeal DADT to a vote before the lame duck session ends.

“The stage is ever so slowly being set for one of the major civil rights advances of our lifetimes, and it is regrettable that the Senate once again is putting off that historic day,” said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. “I hope the Senate, sooner rather than later, will rise to the occasion by breaking through the partisan obstruction to proceed to a debate and vote on repealing this discriminatory and counterproductive policy. Vote yes or vote no, but at least have the courage to vote.”

The Pentagon is also taking steps to try to end or at least not enforce the policy without Congressional approval.