Opinion: Lady Gaga and Nevada Democrat Harry Reid debate military policy on Twitter. Kind of.

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On Tuesday, Lady Gaga and Sen. Harry Reid communicated via Twitter. The universe did not implode.

Many political reporters, though, rejoiced in typing phrases such as “meat dress” and “meat purse.” That never happens after a presidential news conference. Then again … what is President Obama’s position on the appropriateness of the “meat hat?”

The subject of the Twitter chat was actually quite serious: the potential repeal of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which a federal judge recently declared unconstitutional. In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Gaga had implored opponents of (in Twitterspeak) DADT to call Reid and demand the Senate vote on the issue.

Gaga, who has nearly 6.3 million followers on Twitter (where she is pictured with flame-throwers strapped to her chest and groin), tweeted on Tuesday: http://twitpic.com/2ocx9i- Gay Veterans were my VMA dates. Repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. CALL HARRY REID to Schedule Senate Vote

Harry Reid’s campaign, which has about 4,100 followers and no pictures of the embattled Senate majority leader in any kind of meat wear, replied: @ladygagaThere is a vote on #DADT next week. Anyone qualified to serve this country should be allowed to do so http://bit.ly/9ucdIj#nvsen

Gaga: God Bless and Thank you @HarryReid, from all of us, like u, who believe in equality and the dream of this country. We were #BORNTHISWAY.

(‘Born This Way,’ we should note, is the name of Gaga’s upcoming album, or so she announced at the recent MTV Video Music Awards, where she also wore enough raw meat to satisfy a pack of rabid dogs.)

Reid: @ladygagaIt’s the right thing to do. Come back to Vegas soon! #nvsen #DADT

(Majority leader invitation aside, it’s a safe bet she will. Gaga’s hit “Poker Face” was used in a commercial for the Palms hotel-casino, and “Bad Romance” is the unofficial theme song for most Las Vegas hook-ups.)

What followed was a frenzy of retweets and semi-snarky commentaries. Well, lke this blog item itself. We also learned that Gaga does not, in fact, run the U.S. Senate (a vote on DADT had already been scheduled) and that Reid, a Nevada Democrat, might be more culturally aware than we assumed – if you believe he writes his own Tweets and the first magazine he reads each week is People. We are suspicious.

Then again, The Killers, whose members hail from Las Vegas, did play at a rally for Reid in July. (Attendees hoping for ‘Somebody Told Me” instead heard the Nevada state song, “Home Means Nevada.’) So did Sarah McLachlan. Perhaps Reid is cooler than his curmudgeonly persona. We remain suspicious.

Regardless, on a day when several polls showed Reid remained in a tight race with his GOP challenger, Sharron Angle(who has about 5,200 Twitter followers), the spotlight switched entirely to Gaga. Changing the subject in a high-profile political campaign? Now that’s a lady with power.

For more on L.G. than you could ever imagine wanting to know, click here on our expert, Christie over at MOG.

--Ashley Powers
www.twitter.com/latimesvegas

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