Will U.S. bring back the draft?

[papau]

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1068073289288&call_pageid=968332188854

Nov. 5, 2003. 11:18 AM
Will U.S. bring back the draft?
Defence Web site seeks volunteers
Conscription abolished in '73
TIM HARPER
WASHINGTON BUREAU

WASHINGTON—A call from the U.S. Defence Department for volunteers to sit on local draft boards has sparked debate here about whether a nationwide military draft could ultimately be needed to complete Washington's Iraq mission.

A number of analysts said yesterday that while any public suggestion of a draft would be politically suicidal for U.S. President George W. Bush in an election year, he could find himself with few other options if he is returned for a second term and the fighting in Iraq is still raging. <snip>

But as debate swirls about the capabilities of the beleaguered U.S. military, the Pentagon is calling for volunteers to "Serve Your Community and the Nation." It says the Selective Service System "wants to hear from men and women in the community who might be willing to serve as members of a local draft board."

If conscription becomes necessary, it says, 2,000 local and appeal boards would need volunteers. The boards would decide who would go to war and who could defer their service in the event of a national call-up to boost the currently all-volunteer military.....He said it is the first public call to reconstitute draft boards since the compulsory draft was abolished in 1973. <snip>

[soothsayer]

1. i saw the selective service ordering a poster

whilst picking up some art at a frame shop, i noticed a finished (and all wrapped up in brown paper, darn it) frame job on the counter for the selective service national hq and it said something like "must have by nov 14"

I shoulda' asked what the heck was in it

anyway, i thought 'looks like they're getting all geared up'---um, even tho it was based on that one sighting, plus the story yer talking about.

[brokensymmetry]

2. I think its coming.

I can't imagine it coming before the elections - but, yes, I think we'll see a draft.

[bleedingheart]

3. I think there is a draft coming.

[Hokie]

4. OK, here is what we do

Volunteer to serve on Rummie's draft boards and defer everyone in sight. That would send a nice message.

[Paxton_Free]

5. My opinion....

There will obviously be no draft during an election year, but if * gets re-elected on the platform of fighting terror, he will need to wage more wars, and there just aren't enough people to cover it.

If he gets re-elected the draft will come back.

[Dr Fate]

6. Republicans cannot afford to lose the "young coward" voting bloc...

(Polls showed that up to 80% of college students supported Bush going in Iraq, but up to 88% opposed a draft)

......most of the college age republicans that I know refused to ever serve in the military-much less in combat...

...and their rabid support of Bush/media's war was conditioned on the fact that "those other people" would be doing the fighting "for them"...

Republicans would never bring back the draft, because it would expose the fact that most Bush "supporters" would drop that conditional support as soon as they learned they would have to trade Ralph Lauren shirts for desert camo...They would much rather leave it for the people who "want to be there."

During WWII, no one seemed to have a problem with the draft, or "wanting to be there...", FDR even reinstated it before an election... but then again, there was ACTAUL support for that war, while this one was a basically a media hoax with no international support, and certainly no actual, physical support from young republicans...

[jpgray]

7. Bingo

Bush will never risk this unless he is reelected. Or the obligatory catastrophe will have to occur--but this time it would have to be big, and it might backfire anyway. Though with the media on his side, Bush can do as he likes in very broad terms.

[Silverhair]

16. Actually, the country was deeply divided before Pearl Harbor.

The pre WWII draft passed congress by 1 (one) vote. That's right one vote. It wasn't until Pearly Harbor that the country mostly united. (There was one desenting vote in congress. She was not reelected, in fact I'm not even sure that she ran in 1942.)

[Trek234]

8. Bush or Clark will bring back the draft

No doubt.

[Renew Deal]

9. Umm,,, Not really

How did you dump Clark in there? He has said that he would be against the draft. He says that he doesn't want people in there that don't want to be there. So you do you figure?

[Trek234]

10. Clark says he will

Or has Clark just flip flopped again?

Read his nice little mandatory "community service" type program he has proposed. The one that ever so conveniently also makes room for people ("potentially" of course <wink>) going abroad for military purposes. I suppose he won't call it the "draft", so he can still say he is against the "draft".

I'm not up to date with what the Clarkies are spinning it as now, but I'm sure it's something similar to what Bush will do to spin his draft. Probably something along the lines of "Patriot duty" or "Happy fun time in a sand area duty".

[Dr Fate]

11. One thing Clark forgot though...

... is that the polls before the war indicated that a huge majority of people supported the war- seems to me that if that "support" really existed, then there should be no problem finding plenty of able-bodied Bush/war supporters who "want to be there"...

OR, would a draft expose the fact that most able-bodied war "supporters" only support Bush's wars on the condition that "those other people" who "want to be there" will do the fighting??...

...Our representatives in congress OKed this war, and most draft age people dont seem to have a huge problem with it yet... so unless they are all voted out, we cannot honestly say "hey , ummm.. wait a minute- I didnt REALLY mean all that "I wanna kick some ass" stuff.."...

If democracy is TRULY at stake, and a war TRULY has support, then there should be no problem with people "wanting to be there", and allowing the military to pick and choose the best fighters for the effort...

[LuCifer]

12. OH PLEASE LET THEM!!!

And you will see the RepubliKKKan party s-canned faster than the speed of light. I will laugh so hard, people in China will hear me.

Lu Cifer

[Upfront]

13. Draft Is Coming

back if Bush* is elected. We need to put this idea out there. Remember he was selected not elected.

[Hieronymus]

14. Draft boards are ready

and waiting to go into action as soon as Bush is elected in 2004. Of course they will deny it until then, as admitting it would assure Shrub's defeat.

[freeforall]

15. Right!

It seems to me that simply by setting up the "Volunteer Draft Boards," the * government is putting people on notice that there will be a draft - whatever they say to the contrary.

Actions speak louder than words.


Better check out Canadian and other foreign countries' immigration policies now!

[DemoTex]

17. Draft board got my sweet young ass in 1968.

They will be getting our grand-kids within a year. Mark my word. The draft will return. It will kill the party in power. Again, mark my word.