Today, with BP still unable to staunch the oil spill pumping thousands of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, and U.S. stocks taking a nose-dive below 10,000 thanks to tensions over South Korea, the Obama Administration has decided to take some time out to make a deal with congress that promises to repeal the controversial “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that has prohibited gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military for the last 17 years.

"We are on the brink of historic action to both strengthen our military and respect the service of lesbian and gay troops," said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign working toward the repeal.

The repeal, introduced by Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and attached to the 2011 Defense Authorization Act, still faces a battle in congress. The vote expected to be “close” and to occur within the week.

If approved, the new policy would only take effect once Pentagon officials have worked out the details with Washington, possibly around December. Still, after a long, frustrating wait, it looks like our gay and lesbian service members might be able to "Ask and Tell" very soon.