The Maine senator says Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid failed to allow Republicans sufficient time for debate and amendments.

Maine Sen. Susan Collins is upset by yesterday's Senate defeat of the Defense Authoritzation bill containing the "don't ask, don't tell" repeal provision. Collins, who supports repealing the anti-gay policy, says Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid refused to allow Republicans enough time for debate and amendments.

Collins indicated that she was surprised when Reid decided yesterday to bring the measure to a vote. "And it seems evident to me that, unfortunately, the majority leader is not pursuing the path that we discussed, or at least that's my interpretation of what he's saying," Collins said. "I think that's so unfortunate. I want to vote to proceed to this bill."

Yesterday's vote doesn't necessarily end the repeal effort in this lame-duck session, but makes it less likely. And next year's more Republican-dominated Congress is considered unlikely to pass any legislation ending the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy toward gays.

But according to the New York Times, Collins, along with Sen. Joe Leiberman, a Connecticut Independent, and Colorado Democratic Sen. Mark Udall, are introducing the repeal again as stand-alone legislation, a measure Reid said he would bring to the floor, the paper reports.