In news from Capitol Hill, momentum appears to be growing for Congress to put off a vote to repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that bars gays and lesbians from openly serving in the armed forces. Democrat Carl Levin, the chair of the Senate Armed Forces Committee, and Republican Senator John McCain have begun discussing a possible plan to strip the provision from the annual Defense authorization bill. Gay rights groups say the next few weeks are critical because the Republicans will gain control of the House in January. Earlier this week, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he would like to see the Senate vote to authorize the repeal before the end of the year.