Rep. Patrick Murphy: Momentum in the Senate for DADT Repeal
The "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal has signs of life again, now that the House has passed a standalone bill to repeal the policy. Outgoing House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Penn.) introduced the bill Tuesday, and the measure's success puts new pressure on the Senate to take up a repeal bill introduced by Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine).
Congressman Murphy, also a veteran of the Iraq War, told CBS News political analyst John Dickerson on Wednesday's Washington Unplugged, "The reason that we need to act, the sense of urgency is because our country is fighting two wars right now. And that our troops, who are in harm's way, are stretched so thin, and it makes no sense why we are throwing out able-bodied men and women because they happen to be gay."
Last week, the Senate failed to pass a defense authorization bill that included a repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Murphy told Dickerson that he will be working with both Lieberman and Collins to get the repeal into final passage.
"We are coordinating our team and their team to make sure this is passed," he said. "And we have had great momentum over in the Senate, with Republican Senators who in the last few days after the [Pentagon's DADT] report came out, that are now in favor of repealing 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' because it is for national security."
Watch Wednesday's Washington Unplugged above, also featuring managing editor for The Hill newspaper Bob Cusack with political analysis, and CBS News' Fernando Suarez with a report on a mock Afghan village designed at Quantico Marine base preparing Marines for life in Afghanistan before deployment. Washington Unplugged airs every weekday at 12:30 p.m. ET at CBSNews.com.
