Breaking: Hates Crimes Bill Dead

From the Washington Blade:

Capitol Hill sources are telling the Blade that the hate crimes measure has been stripped from the National Defense Authorization Act. The House passed a freestanding hate crimes bill in May, but lawmakers in the Senate, led by Sen. Edward Kennedy, attached it to the spending bill as part of a strategy to avoid a presidential veto.

An official announcement is expected within the hour. Check back for more details as the story develops.

I'll follow up on this as more is known. Sigh.