Chris Dodd for President

Yesterday Senator Dodd sent a letter to Joe Solmonese, the president of Human Rights Campaign, praising him for his leadership to end the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. HRC has kicked off a national tour to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Accord to their website, "The tour features the real-life stories of openly gay and lesbian veterans who have honorably served in the U.S. armed forces." In his letter, Senator Dodd writes:

I am writing today to express my strong support for your drive to repeal the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy for gay men and women in the service. I have called for the repeal of this policy, because I believe it is discriminatory, ineffectual, and is compromising our military readiness and national security. Patriotic gay and lesbian Americans have been serving in the military with distinction and honor for years. And particularly, in times like these, when our military is already stretched thin and the need has never been greater, it is unthinkable that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is turning away or forcing the discharge of talented men and women who are dedicated to serving their country. All Americans who want to serve their nation should be able to do so. With your hard work, we can bring about a change that enhances our military readiness and national security, while honoring all our dedicated service men and women. I will look forward to the success of the A Legacy of Service tour in bringing the movement to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" an even higher profile.

For more of Senator Dodd's thoughts on repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," check out this video from March where Senator Dodd responds to General Peter Pace's comments that he didn't think gays or lesbians should be serving in the US military. Dodd called for all Democratic contenders for the presidential nomination to join him in calling for a total repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." If you share Senator Dodd's belief that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" should be repealed, sign up here: http://chrisdodd.com/end-DADT -- then ask your friends to sign on, too! Update Iowa Independent's T.M. Lindsey has more about the HRC Legacy of Service campaign.