Pawlenty: Reinstate ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’

Republican Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a likely candidate for the 2012 presidential nomination, supports the idea of putting back in place the military's ban on openly gay and lesbian service members, The Hill reports. The "Don't ask, don't tell" policy was repealed by Congress last month with the support of President Barack Obama.

"I have been a public supporter of maintaining don’t ask, don’t tell, and I would support reinstating it as well," Pawlenty tells conservative radio talk show host Bryan Fischer in an interview.

Congress would have to pass a bill to reinstate the ban. With several Republicans having voted in favor of the repeal last month, that wouldn’t be an easy feat, even if Pawlenty is elected president.