Late this afternoon, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Ct.) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Me.) announced a plan to bring a repeal of the military’s anti-gay “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy to the Senate for a full vote apart from the 2011 Defense Authorization Act.

“We are working with our colleagues and are confident that there are at least 60 Senators who support repeal,” Lieberman Tweeted this afternoon.

According to Lieberman’s Twitter page, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will issue a “Rule 14” on the measure, which will allow the bill to bypass The Senate Armed Services Committee and come directly to the floor for a vote.

An attempt to more the 2011 Defense Authorization Act forward in the Senate stalled today. The DAA also failed to achieve a cloture vote in late-September. The House of Representatives has already passed a repeal measure.

President Barack Obama issued a message to supporters via Facebook this evening: “Extremely disappointed that a minority of senators was willing to block important legislation largely because they oppose the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” But although today’s vote was disappointing, it must not be the end of our efforts.”

Stay tuned for more updates as they happen.