A vote on a standalone repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” could “come later this week or early next — definitely during the lame duck,” a senior Senate aide tells National Review Online.

An attempt to repeal the measure as attached to a defense authorization bill failed last week when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) rescinded on the terms of a compromise with Sen. Susan Collins of Maine. 

Reid has promised Collins and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I., Conn.) a standalone vote on repeal before year’s end, via a special rule that would allow the measure to bypass the Senate’s committee process.