Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the effort to legislatively repeal the statute of Don't Ask, Don't Tell and leave it up to the military to implement their own policy recommendation. First of all, Don't Ask, Don't Tell is the only law in the country that requires people to be dishonest about their personal lives or face the possibility of being fired. It's a law that's not only hurtful to the men and women who currently serve in our Armed Forces, but it's a law that's hurtful to our national security as Americans. George Washington, our Nation's first Commander in Chief, is enshrined in American history for telling his father, I cannot tell a lie. Yet more than 200 years later, this shameful law mocks Washington's words and makes lying required operating procedure for our military's rank-and-file. Today we have the opportunity to end this law. I'd like to address some of the remarks from the gentleman from Florida and the gentleman from Georgia. This proposal and this compromise have been endorsed by Admiral Mullen, as well as Secretary Gates. Absent this statutory change, which we are doing consistent with our congressional time line of the defense authorization bill, the military would find itself in a position to be unable to implement its own recommendations.…”