Perfect !!!

Obama has been taking a lot of heat for dragging his feet about repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell and for not ending the discharges prior to the law being changed. He insists it will happen, but he wants to do it carefully and deliberately; and he wants Congress to take the lead in changing the law.

Now we have a new voice taking charge of the bill in Congress that will overturn DADT, and he seems to the perfect choice.

Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA) sent out this email to his supporters this morning:

In less than an hour [10:00 AM], we will officially announce that I am taking over as the chief sponsor for The Military Readiness Enhancement Act -- the bill that will finally repeal the policy known as "Don't Ask,Don't Tell." I have been speaking out against for many years against "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" -- first as an ROTC cadet, then as a professor at West Point, and later as a candidate and a congressman. To now take the lead on such an important piece of legislation is an honor and a privilege beyond words.

This is going to be a busy day full of meetings and interviews. We'll even be launching a new website dedicated to this issue: LetThemServe.com. But before it all got started I wanted to thank you for giving me the opportunity to stand up and fight for the values we all believe in. I couldn't do this without you, and I'll never forget that.

Although there are three openly gay members of the House, Barney Frank (D-MA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Jared Polis (D-CO), Murphy is not one of them. Here's why he seems to be the perfect Congressman to take the lead on this: a heterosexual, Iraq war vet and former West Point professor -- it robs the opponents of being able to use their old, tired rants against "the homosexual agenda."

It also is a courageous stance for Murphy to take. He won his seat in Congress in 2006 by just 1521 votes, and he knows that this could lose him some votes. But he's saying that we need congressmen who will do what's right and stop worrying about the effect on their re-election.

Ralph

PS: A related good news issue: last month the District of Columbia city council approved a resolution that D.C. will recognize same-sex marriages that are performed in other states where it is legal. In the peculiar governance of D.C., Congress has oversight and has 30 days to challenge any law before it goes into effect. The 30 days have passed on this one, and there was no challenge from Congress. So couples married in Massachusetts or Iowa, say, will be considered legally married if they move to D.C. It also is considered a first step toward legalizing marriage itself in D.C.