Reply #9: Volunteer standing armies have always been preferred

[fedsron2us]

by powers such as Britain where the ruling class have traditionally feared insurrection from the masses. The authors of the Declaration of Independence saw them as an instrument of tyranny. In order to counteract this threat the citizens of the United States were given a constitutional right to bear arms. Given that some of the policies of the current US President bear more than a passing resemblance to his namesake George III I wonder whether he would really instigate the draft as this would might politicise the populace and make future PNAC wars harder to justify. Far better to exploit the liberal lefts distaste for military service as means of screwing funds out the people to fund a mercenary force. It is going to be far more likely to carry out the orders of its paymasters and, of course, can be turned on dissenters at home when required.

edit for typos