THE RAW DEAL: Kerry Undermines Credibility With Draft Rumors

George W. Bush ^ | October 14, 2004

[RWR8189]

"John Kerry's efforts to spread false internet rumors on the draft undermine his own credibility. He has demonstrated for the second day in a row that he is a candidate willing to do or say anything to score political points. The American people saw John Kerry this week cast aside any attempt at decency and his fear mongering today confirms that."

- Steve Schmidt, Bush-Cheney '04 Spokesman

Kerry Is Continuing To Spread Rumors About The Draft

Kerry Says That If President Bush Wins Re-Election There Is "A Great Potential" For A Military Draft. "There is 'a great potential' for a military draft in the United States should President Bush win re-election in November, Democratic challenger John Kerry said Thursday during an interview with The Des Moines Register. 'With George Bush, the plan for Iraq is more of the same and the great potential of a draft,' Kerry said during a meeting with Register reporters and editors before headlining a rally at the Iowa State Fairgrounds." (Thomas Beaumont, "Kerry: Potential Great For Return Of Draft," Des Moines Register, 10/15/04)

The Bush Administration Says The Draft Is Not Returning

President Bush: "We're Not Going To Have A Draft, Period." BUSH: "We're not going to have a draft, period. The all- volunteer army works. It works particularly when we pay our troops well. It works when we make sure they've got housing, like we have done in the last military budgets. An all-volunteer army is best suited to fight the new wars of the 21st century, which is to be specialized and to find these people as they hide around the world." (President George W. Bush, Second Presidential Debate, St. Louis, MO, 10/8/04)

Donald Rumsfeld Calls Suggestion Of Bush Initiated Draft "Nonsense." When asked if by the Armed Services Committee about initiating the draft, Secretary Rumsfeld replied, "That is absolute nonsense... It's absolutely false that anyone in this administration is considering reinstituting the draft." (Donald Rumsfeld, Senate Armed Services Committee, 9/23/04)

The Defense Department Says The Draft Is Not Returning

Conscripted Forces Are More Expensive, Less Effective, Less Likely To Reenlist And Less Motivated. "With a conscripted force comes higher personnel turnover, which results in substantial costs. Shorter enlistment terms, characteristic of a draft, result in high personnel turnover and a degradation in unit stability and performance. …Draftees also are less likely to reenlist. …With a volunteer military comes a more motivated force." (Office Of The Under Secretary Of Defense For Personnel & Readiness, "Conscription Threatens Hard-Won Achievements and Military Readiness," Press Release, 1/14/03)

With A Volunteer Force, The Military Opts For Broad Mechanization To Lower Costs, A Scheme "Not Compatible With A Conscripted Force." (Office Of The Under Secretary Of Defense For Personnel & Readiness, "Conscription Threatens Hard-Won Achievements and Military Readiness," Press Release, 1/14/03)

The Media Says The Draft Is Not Returning

NBC News Says Draft Proposals Were Introduced By Democrats As A Protest Against The War. JIM MIKLASZEWSKI: "Internet postings claim the Selective Service System has been given $28 million to prepare for a draft and is secretly hiring 10,000 people for draft boards nationwide. Pentagon officials call it 'bunk.' The e-mails also highlight two bills to reinstate the draft pending in the House and Senate. But both have almost no political support and both are sponsored by Democrats. Congressman Charlie Rangel admits he introduced his bill in part as a protest to the war in Iraq." (NBC's "Nightly News," 9/29/04)

[mykroar]

The Media Says The Draft Is Not Returning

NBC News Says Draft Proposals Were Introduced By Democrats As A Protest Against The War. JIM MIKLASZEWSKI: "Internet postings claim the Selective Service System has been given $28 million to prepare for a draft and is secretly hiring 10,000 people for draft boards nationwide. Pentagon officials call it 'bunk.' The e-mails also highlight two bills to reinstate the draft pending in the House and Senate. But both have almost no political support and both are sponsored by Democrats. Congressman Charlie Rangel admits he introduced his bill in part as a protest to the war in Iraq." (NBC's "Nightly News," 9/29/04)

Holy crap! NBC is quickly becoming the only non-partisan member of the MSM (at least comparitively so).

[kevkrom]

Wasn't Rumsfeld the guy who basically pushed for the draft to end in the 70's?

[MeekOneGOP]

Meek - need a "Raw Deal" graphic here!

Here ya go .....

Jean Keri introduces his Plan for America ...

My thanks to Traumer, Arrowhead1952 and Conspiracy Guy for the concept of the above pic

[R. Scott]

But the only ones pushing for a draft are democrats.

[texasflower]

What is more telling about Kerry's remarks is that he is sort of saying in a way that he will vastly pull back on our military efforts.

He feels we won't need a draft, because he isn't actually planning to use the military very much.

I wish the Bush campaign would do an ad that tells people that is was Rangel that started this garbage and that it was soundly defeated when it came to a vote.

[Condor51]

More important than the added 40,000 troops IMO - which is controlled by congress anyway, is the EXTRA Special Forces troops he's saying "he'll create".

There's more applicants now than slots and the failure rate is a given, so exactly HOW is he going to do this, except by LOWERING standards - then they wouldn't be so frigging 'special' would they. REMF's & cooks will be wearing the Green Beret.

It's like that &*^%$% Gen Shinseki giving the Rangers Black Beret to all troops to: "make them feel good".

Bottom line, Kerry is UNFIT to Command. If he couldn't hack it as a lowly LTJG and bugged out at 1st chance, he surely couldn't handle being CIC. He's nothing but a frickin maggot, pond scum has more value than him. He'll turn the US Military into an equivalent of the Canadians - USELESS! The French will be able to kick our a$$....

GOD I HATE HIS GUTS!!!

(ok, exhaaale - ahhhh)
/rant off

[Howlin]

I'm right with you. Well, as much as I can be, never having served; but I take you guys at your word. I value your opinions.

[Denver Ditdat]

Flat out stated:" If we don't make a change in November, there Will (!) be a draft and women will be the priority".

Delusional. I marvel to think that these folks are breathing the same air under the same sky as I am. Their dispatches might as well be arriving from Mars.

[TommyDale]

Kerry Undermines Credibility With Draft Rumors

This premise is flawed. First you must HAVE credibility, before you can undermine it!

[Condor51]

Thanks, and I wasn't 'going off' on you, you know that. But you're 100% correct about troop levels and that jackass _sKerry. His idiocy gets me riled.

And I'm at the point (almost) where I don't believe he's just lying all the time, I firmly believe he's really, really ignorant - or just STUPID. (graduating from Yale doesn't necessarily mean one's 'smart')

[ravingnutter]

Draft Fears Fueled by Inaccurate E-mails

Older story before the vote, but note Rangel's motivation:

The bills are not being pushed. It's quite true that the two bills mentioned would require both men and women aged 18 through 25 to perform a two-year period of "national service," which incidentally could be either military or non-military service. But the bills are sponsored only by Democrats, and there's not the slightest evidence that the Bush administration is pushing for them, quietly or otherwise.

One bill is HR 163 , whose principle sponsor is Democratic Rep. Charles Rangel of New York. It has 14 co-sponsors, all of them Democrats in a Congress controlled by Republicans. The bill was dead on arrival: it sits in a House subcommittee with no hearings or votes scheduled and no action expected.

In fact, Rangel told FactCheck.org through his spokesman Emile Milne that even he isn't pushing for passage, let alone Bush (emphasis added):

Rep. Rangel: I'm not pushing this bill . It's up to the President to come to me when he needs it.

The identical Senate bill, S. 89 , introduced by Democratic Sen. Ernest Hollings, and also was DOA. Not one other senator has co-sponsored it. It also sits in committee with no action scheduled or expected.

Both bills in question were drawn up before the Iraq war started, mostly to make a political point. Rangel said he acted to highlight Democratic objections to use of military force against Saddam Hussein. He wrote , "I truly believe that decision-makers who support war would more readily feel the pain of conflict and appreciate the sacrifice of those on the front lines if their children were there, too."

Rangel is the prostitute.

[tomnbeverly]

What Kerry is really saying is a vote for me is a vote for the Draft because... The military overwhelmingly support the president and further they hate... hate John Kerry and they will not fight for him... His rhetoric now is to save him by blaming Bush for the draft that he will have to institute if he gets elected simply because the military will not fight for a loser.

[austinaero]

Is there anything worse than a poodle with a plan?