Ed Garvey: U.S. must get out of Iraq or draft will soon follow

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http://www.madison.com/captimes/opinion/column/guest/77737.php

With turmoil in Saudi Arabia, a quagmire in Iraq, possible political if not military defeat in Afghanistan, intensification of the Palestinian-Israeli dispute, terrorism in Pakistan, India, and perhaps Bahrain, one might ask President Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, "So, fellas, how's it going? How will America handle a new crisis in the Middle East?"

Hint: The Army is refusing to let soldiers leave service when their tour is up and is calling up thousands of reservists. Will there be a draft if Bush is re-elected? You bet.

Given the turmoil in the Middle East, there may be one with Bush or John Kerry. The grammatically challenged chair of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., told the New York Times, "You have drafts when you can't get the requisite numbers. There is not now indications that you can't get the requisite number but we watch those numbers every month."
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Would any of us offer our sons or daughters or our grandchildren for this ill-considered and irresponsible adventure? If your answer is no, then join in demanding an end to our occupation of Iraq.

It is time to admit we were wrong. We cannot solve the problem on our own.


Ed Garvey, a Madison attorney and former Democratic nominee for governor, is a regular contributor to these pages.