Posted on 11/19/2006 10:30:36 AM PST by Brilliant
A senior House Democrat said Sunday he will introduce legislation to reinstate the military draft, asserting that current troop levels are insufficient to sustain possible challenges against Iran, North Korea and Iraq.
"There's no question in my mind that this president and this administration would never have invaded Iraq, especially on the flimsy evidence that was presented to the Congress, if indeed we had a draft and members of Congress and the administration thought that their kids from their communities would be placed in harm's way," said Rep. Charles Rangel (news, bio, voting record), D-N.Y.
Rangel, a veteran of the Korean War who has unsuccessfully sponsored legislation on conscription in the past, said he will propose the measure early next year.
At a time when some lawmakers are urging the military to send more troops to Iraq, "I don't see how anyone can support the war and not support the draft," he said.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (news, bio, voting record), a South Carolina Republican who is a colonel in the U.S. Air Force Standby Reserve, said he agreed that the U.S. does not have enough people in the military.
"I think we can do this with an all-voluntary service, all-voluntary Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy. And if we can't, then we'll look for some other option," said Graham, who is assigned as a reserve judge to the Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals.
Rangel, incoming chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, said he worried the military was being strained by its overseas commitments.
"If we're going to challenge Iran and challenge North Korea and then, as some people have asked, to send more troops to Iraq, we can't do that without a draft," Rangel said.
He said having a draft would not necessarily mean everyone called to duty would have to serve. Instead, "young people (would) commit themselves to a couple of years in service to this great republic, whether it's our seaports, our airports, in schools, in hospitals," with a promise of educational benefits at the end of service.
Graham said he believes the all-voluntary military "represents the country pretty well in terms of ethnic makeup, economic background."
Repeated polls have shown that about seven in 10 Americans oppose reinstatement of the draft and officials say they do not expect to restart conscription.
Outgoing Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told Congress in June 2005 that "there isn't a chance in the world that the draft will be brought back."
Yet the prospect of the long global fight against terrorism and the continuing U.S. commitment to stabilizing Iraq have kept the idea in the public's mind.
The military drafted conscripts during the Civil War, both world wars and between 1948 and 1973. An agency independent of the Defense Department, the Selective Service System trains, keeps an updated registry of men age 18-25 now about 16 million from which to supply untrained draftees that would supplement the professional all-volunteer armed forces.
Rangel and Graham appeared on "Face the Nation" on CBS.
Charlie the Chump needs to check in with the Pentagon. Most of the services are cutting back in their ranks. The Air Force is releasing 40,000 people. I think the Chump is being motivated by his desire to allow "gay" people who are "involuntarily" drafted to publicly announce to the world that they are homosexuals and flaunt their sexual disorientation. It's all part of the 'RATS plan to destroy the military.
If they had said that (the truth), they would have lost every vote of the 18 to 25 year olds.
Exactly. Too many young people today have it way too easy and think it always has been and always will be and they never have to lift a finger. A draft, or at least the possibility that they might be drafted, might make some of them aware of just how much those who have gone before them have paid for what they now enjoy.
I dont believe we should have done away with the draft to begin with. I think they should call Charlie Rangel's bluff and reinstate it.
Rangel of course somehow in his twisted mind believes that if the democrats bring back the draft they can blame it on the President. I fail to understand how he intends to bring that about , but lets give him a shot.
A draft called for by democrats and passed in a Democrat majority should sink their ship in 2008 . Especially when the NOW cows find that women will be subject to the new draft.
So I say go Charlie, make an even bigger fool of yourself.
He did the same damn thing in 2004 so the dims could scare people into voting for them, by claiming that President Bush was going to bring back the draft. Even though it was HIS legislation. And then he called foul when Republicans brought it up for a vote because he didn't actually want to *pass* his own legislation, he just wanted to be a complete jackass. Which he regularly succeeds in doing.
A senior House Democrat said Sunday he will introduce legislation to reinstate the military draft,
They just can't help themselves.
Maybe we should give Rangel all those lovely gang kids to work with. He could train them himself as he is a vet. Those kids love to fight and love guns and have nothing else to do. Does Rangel have fighting age children of his own by chance or grandchildren that could serve too?
Charlie says this all the time, but then he knows most of his draft-age male constituents are either in prison or too stupid to pass the mental exams.
And a racist scumbag.
How do you spend your time? Are you employed, or retired?
Rangel doesn't care about the draft. He believes that a draft would bring about public discontent, a la Vietnam war protests, forcing the U.S. to withdraw from conflict.
QUESTION TO MR. RANGEL AND THE FEMINISTS :
If Rangel's idea pushes through...
Now that Women are considered just as good as men in the military and allowed in combat, will this be an EQUAL OPPORTUNITY DRAFT ? Or will it only apply UNEQUALLY to men ?
Sure they would have. WMD threat? Remember? Besides those of us who lived back in those days remember a thing called "deferrment". Rangel's ploy will go nowhere.
BUMP
Re-instating the draft is a great way to turn Americans against going to war in Iraq or anywhere else. It's one thing if someone volunteers to join up, but it's an entirely different matter to be forced or to think it could happen to you or your kids.
RAT$,,$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ bout says it all.
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