HAMPTON, N.H. (AP) – Democratic presidential hopeful Chris Dodd said Saturday that he would like to see the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy on homosexuals in uniform repealed.
“Whether or not we can repeal it or not I don’t know, but it seems to me that at a time when we need talented people to serve in our military, setting up barriers like that for those who might serve I think is wrong,” the Connecticut senator told several reporters in a Hampton fire station.
Dodd defended the service of gays in the military and criticized Marine Gen. Peter Pace, who recently called homosexuality immoral.
“It was a ridiculous statement to make,” said Dodd.
On another topic, Dodd said he hasn’t yet called for the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who has been accused of misleading members of Congress about the dismissal of several United States attorneys.
Several lawmakers, including Senator John Sununu, R-N.H., have called for Gonzales to resign.
Dodd said he would like to see a full investigation first. He said that investigation will come.
“I’m deeply concerned about it. I thought there were certain areas that were out of bounds in politics,” he said. “Apparently this administration thinks there’s nothing out of bounds, including politicizing the U.S. atttorney’s office. I don’t know how high that goes up.”
On Iraq, Dodd said he would begin redeploying of troops right away, calling Iraq “a cauldron of turmoil.”
Dodd voted recently in favor of a Democratic resolution to withdraw most American combat troops from Iraq in 2008, leaving a “limited number” for various purposes including training Iraqi forces.
“And you offend the intelligence of a soldier if you tell him we can’t do that because we want to protect you,” he said. “No one’s not going to protect our soldiers who redeploy. I want to start funding the policies differently and obviously if you’re doing that as you redeploy troops you protect them.”
Dodd appeared unfazed by the jockeying of various states in the primary lineup, which some say could leave candidates with less name recognition and less funding at a disadvantage.
“You’re going to have to do well in New Hampshire,” he said. “If you don’t do well in New Hampshire you’re not going to do well in California.”
Dodd also discussed personnel shortages with firefighters. The Hampton station had to lay off four workers, according to David Lang, President of the Professional Firefighters of New Hampshire and captain in the Hampton department.
In addition to having inadequate personnel, he said, the public’s needs are on the rise. “When the public begins to lose health care, they start to use our services more,” Lang said.
Even as Dodd stood in the bay among the fire trucks, a call came in and three firefighters jumped on a truck, leaving only two in the station.
“Estimates are nationwide we’re understaffed by about 75,000 people,” Dodd said. “And that may be a low number.”
Dodd said his efforts to address the needs of first-responders had been stymied by the Republican-led Congress.
“The president has continued over the last five years to either zero this budget or to undercut it, so we’ll have to go back at it again, to fight for the additional resources,” Dodd said.
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