[Nat]

I really do truly despise this woman. Just received the following email:

Dear Friend:
**** Thank you for contacting me about our nation's "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy. *I welcome your thoughts and comments.
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**** Officials from the Department of Defense previously testified before Congress that the current policy has served the military well. *However, in recent months, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates publicly stated his support for repealing the "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy, pending the results of an internal Pentagon review.
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**** The internal Pentagon review report was released on November 30, 2010, and its findings indicated that the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" would bring about limited disruption to unit cohesion and retention. *I respectfully disagree with the report's findings. *I will not support a repeal of the "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy. *After speaking with military personnel and former leaders of our armed services, I remain very concerned about how repealing this policy could negatively impact unit cohesion and overall troop readiness -- especially during a time of war.
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**** Our military has obligations around the world, including intensifying efforts to topple the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. *I, along with many others, am concerned that a drastic change in the military’s "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy could hurt morale, recruitment, and retention at a time when our armed forces need to maintain a strong presence at home and abroad.
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**** Please be assured that I will keep your thoughts in mind. *I appreciate hearing from you, and I hope that you will not hesitate to keep in touch on any issue that is important to you.
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Sincerely,
Kay Bailey Hutchison
United States Senator
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284 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC *20510
202-224-5922 (tel)
202-224-0776 (fax)
http://hutchison.senate.gov
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PLEASE DO NOT REPLY to this message as this mailbox is only for the delivery of outbound messages, and is not monitored for replies. *Due to the volume of mail Senator Hutchison receives, she requests that all email messages be sent through the contact form found on her website at http://hutchison.senate.gov/contact.cfm .
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If you would like more information about issues pending before the Senate, please visit the Senator's website at http://hutchison.senate.gov . *You will find articles, floor statements, and press releases, along with her weekly column and monthly television show on current events. *You can also sign up to receive Senator Hutchison's weekly e-newsletter.
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Thank you.