Remember the name: Patrick J. Murphy. He is a Member of Congress, an Iraq war vet, a decorated American hero and he is straight and has a family - and - he has just taken the lead in ending Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Hooray for Patrick Murphy!
Read this story filed today by the Philadelphia Inquirer. You will also want to see Rachel Maddow's interview today with Patrick Murphy. Rachel Maddow is an American hero in her own right and I very highly recommend the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. If you're a Maddow fan you will also enjoy Rachel's personal website: rachelmaddow.com
Anyway, enough Rachel already! Here's the Philapdelphia Inquirer story of Patrick J. Murphy and DADT:
U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, an Iraq War veteran, is taking the lead in Congress to repeal a law that bars openly gay people from serving in the military.
At a news conference in Washington today, the Bucks County Democrat plans to announce a renewed effort to overturn the policy known as "don't ask, don't tell." The law, enacted in 1993 during President Bill Clinton's first term, has led to the discharge of nearly 13,000 gay service members.
"I've seen great soldiers get kicked out of the Army, not because of sexual misconduct, but because of their sexual orientation," Murphy said yesterday. "It's hurt our military, and it's a policy that's long overdue for a change."
Murphy, 35, a former Army lawyer and captain in the 82d Airborne Division, has always opposed the policy. During Congressional hearings on the issue last summer, Murphy said that discriminating against gay service members has led to the discharge of 58 Arabic speakers since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
"They could be on the ground right now in Iraq . . . producing vital intelligence that would help us win the war on terror," he said. "When I was in Iraq . . . my men did not care if you were gay or straight; they just wanted to get the mission done and come home alive."
Murphy said he was taking the lead on the bill after its prime sponsor, Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D, Calif.), resigned last month to become undersecretary of state for arms control and international security.
The legislation, first introduced in 2005, is still in subcommittee and may not come up for a House vote this year. It now has 151 cosponsors, and Murphy said he planned to meet individually with legislators in the coming weeks to find the needed votes.
"It's not going to happen in a couple days. It's going to be months," Murphy said yesterday. "I'm optimistic that we're going to eventually get this done. No one ever said change was easy."
Supporters of the bill hope Murphy can give the effort new life.
"He gets it," said Kevin Nix, spokesman for Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, a nonprofit that provides legal services to service members discharged under the "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
"He's not just speaking from Washington, he's been there on the ground. . . . That's immensely important for getting votes," Nix said.
Opponents say they aren't worried that a veteran has taken up the cause. A 2006 Military Times poll showed that 58 percent of active-duty personnel support keeping "don't ask, don't tell."
"He's in a pretty serious minority as far as military people go," said Tommy Sears, executive director of a nonprofit called the Center for Military Readiness.
Although President Obama promised during his campaign to repeal "don't ask, don't tell," gay-rights advocates are frustrated at his pace. Obama reiterated his commitment last week, but has resisted the idea of issuing an executive order to stop the military discharges until Congress takes up the issue. He has asked top military brass to develop a plan to implement a repeal of the 1993 policy.
Some political observers think Obama might be trying to avoid the missteps of Clinton, whose efforts to expand rights to gays in the military roiled conservatives, resulting in the compromise legislation of "don't ask, don't tell."
"Instead of trying to build consensus . . . he went right in, in the first days of his administration, and tackled head on an immensely controversial subject of gays serving in the military," said Chris Borick, associate professor of political science at Muhlenberg College. "Obama is much more cautious that way . . . he has enough to do, he just doesn't want to be immediately wrapped into cultural debates."
By taking up the fight in Congress, Murphy might take pressure off Obama while championing a cause Obama already supports.
"Maybe Patrick's being the good soldier here," said Larry Ceisler, a Philadelphia-based political consultant. "For Patrick Murphy, there's only upside. You get to be the point person on a very controversial issue. You get to have a nationwide audience. You get to be known. You become a national player."
Murphy's congressional district, which includes part of Montgomery County and some of Northeast Philadelphia as well as Bucks, is moderate to liberal on social issues, so it's unlikely his stance will hurt him locally, analysts said.
For his part, Murphy said he doesn't expect Obama to use an executive order to bypass the legislative process.
"If the Congress passes a law, he will sign it," Murphy said. "Now it's our job in the Congress to put a bill on his desk to overturn this policy."
Today, Murphy plans to unveil a Web site, letthemserve.com, where service members affected by "don't ask, don't tell" can share their stories, and visitors to the site can add their names to a petition.
While some wonder whether Murphy's bill can fight for space with the economy, health-care reform, and other issues before Congress, Murphy said the change was long overdue.
"The military would embrace this - they would salute and execute the policy given to them by the Congress and the president of the United States," he said. "They believe in equality, and they don't care what race or religion someone is. They care whether they can fire an M4 assault rifle, whether they can lead a formation, whether they can kick down a door in Afghanistan or Baghdad."
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