House Dems mull end to 'Don't Ask-Don't Tell'

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The lead sponsor of a bill to overturn the U.S. military's controversial 'Don't Ask-Don't Tell' policy said the law could be overturned in the first year of President-elect Obama's administration.

Obama has pledged to lift the ban on gays serving openly in the U.S. military.

A transition office spokesman would not comment for this story. But two months ago, Obama signaled he would move cautiously, telling the Philadelphia Gay News newspaper he would first get the military on board.

"Although I have consistently said I would repeal 'Don't Ask-Don't Tell,' I believe that the way to do it is to make sure that we are working through processes, getting the Joint Chiefs of Staff clear in terms of what our priorities are going to be," he said.

The 1993 policy stopped the military's practice of asking potential service members if they are gay. But it still required the dismissal of openly gay service members.

A bill to replace the law with a policy that would allow gays to openly serve has 149 co-sponsors in the house, including California's Ellen Tauscher. Tauscher, a Democrat, said that with a new administration, the timing is right to try to pass the bill.