使用JQuery捕获Password输入类型的值

The goal is to log into a site and not have to refresh the screen. I am using a a textbox to capture the email/username and a password box (input type="password") for the password. Then, ideally, I want to pass those values back to a web service for authentication using JQuery/AJAX. The problem I am experiencing, however, is that the JQuery is unable to access the value of the Password field, always passing back an empty string instead of the password. The goal is to log into a site and not have to