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by Mark Finkelstein September 3, 2006 - 08:42 The ostensible topic was the NFL fantasy-league draft that members of the Today show crew recently conducted. But in sharing her strategy for making draft picks, Campbell Brown might have unintentionally offered hope to Republicans looking nervously to November and beyond. Campbell admitted to weekend co-host Lester Holt that she knows little about football. So in making her picks, Brown said she simply adopted this strategy: "I picked the ones who looked tough and mean." When undecided voters go to the polls, might they not adopt the same approach in putting together...

In one of the most disgraceful campaign tactics of the 2004 election, the Democrats sponsored a meme that if re-elected George W Bush would reinstitute the draft. It was very successful. Bush won the under 30s vote against Gore in 2000, but lost the same demographic to Kerry. In fact, of course, the only support for the draft is on the left wing of the Democrats. It was Donald Rumsfeld, in his first stint at the Pentagon in '70s who abolished the draft. He remains more committed than ever to modernising the military. The proposal to reinsitute the draft in...

America is at war? —no we are not. Don’t kid yourself. The U.S. Army is at war, the Marines are at war and other elements of our armed forces are at war. But are you at war? Do you feel like you are in a war? Is this war having any tangible effect on your day to day life? As a nation that claims to be at war we are in a grave position in it. America is strategically fixed...

America’s Strategic Fix and Our New Decision PointsAugust 25th, 2006 America’s national leadership since 9-11 has said that we are in a “Global War on Terror.” More recently, they describe it as a “Long War.” Putting it together then we are in a “global-long war on terror” against jihadists, Islamic fascists, or however you want to describe that enemy, and implicitly any other people or nation that advocates and is pursuing the wherewithal and means to destroy this Country—after all that is the definition of a threat. The moniker suggests this war is something different, above and beyond even the...

With Iran and North Korea becoming nuclear powers. We are running out of time. It is decision time very soon. this is my opinion of what needs to happen. Correct me where I am ignorant. it is time to 1. Reinstate a large scale draft 2. Re position troops in Iraq and issue "fallout warnings". 3. I know the President likely has an updated siop plan in his desk or on it. I personally believe that there are plans for some type of Nuclear strike. 4. Do the plan. Nuke the government out..disconnect Teran from the rest of the country....

If anyone is interested I'm running the Freepers Fantasy Football League over at Yahoo! again this week. Feel free to come join. There's an auto draft league for people who want to take it easy or are new to the concept. Visit http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/f1 and join private league 99463 and the password is freep. The autodraft will be triggered sometime later this month in August. Or, if you are more hardcode, there is a LIVE DRAFT league. You can join it by visiting http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/f1 and joining private league 99439 and the password is also freep. The live draft will commense on...

COLORADO SPRINGS — Big names and big surprises converged before a nationwide audience at the 2006 Pastors Draft on April 27. "I've been waiting a long time for this," said Alvin DeWalt, 26, of Fuller Seminary, pacing his apartment in Pasadena and watching the draft on the Daystar network. His wife had made guacamole, and thirty friends were on hand to see which church picked DeWalt, one of this year's top ranked prospects. In the first round, Geoff Parsons and Rick Benson, of Westminster and Calvin seminaries respectively, went first, as scouts had predicted they would. Parsons heads to a...

There was a time when most members of Congress had served in the military, as had many people in the media. Today that is no longer true -- and it shows in many ways. Ignorance should at least create caution but it seems to do just the opposite. People with little knowledge about the military, and no personal experience, often have the most sweeping and unrealistic expectations, and even demands, to make on people whose lives are at risk in battle. The military have been criticized for everything from not protecting an Iraqi museum while being shot at to not...

ST. LOUIS – St. Louis Blues’ President John Davidson announced today that defenseman Erik Johnson will attend the University of Minnesota in the fall. “We feel this is a win-win situation for Erik to be going to an excellent hockey program to continue his development,” said Davidson. “This is beneficial for his career, short term and long term, to play for the Gophers. He will have an opportunity to compete for an NCAA National Championship (in St. Louis in April of 2007), play in the World Junior Championships and enjoy university life.” Johnson, 18, was the first overall selection by...

The boss of North Jersey would no doubt have a different view on how to prosecute the war in Iraq. So too, it turns out, does the man who plays him on “The Sopranos.” Speaking Monday night from the National Museum of American History for the Washington premiere of the HBO documentary “Baghdad ER,” James Gandolfini said President Bush should “reinstate the draft, send 500,000 troops and finish it.” “I’d go,” he told a Hill source. “I’m too old and fat, but I’d drive a truck.” “The American people haven’t had to sacrifice anything,” he added. The often-gory film depicts...

Hamas, Fatah Agree on Draft for Palestinian State with Final Borders Thursday , May 11, 2006 RAMALLAH, West Bank — After months of tensions, senior members of the rival Hamas and Fatah factions have forged a joint platform, including acceptance of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. However, it was unclear whether Hamas, particularly the group's hardline leaders abroad, will back the program, which would signal a major softening of positions. Until now, Hamas has balked at the West's demands that it renounce violence, recognize Israel and accept existing peace agreements. The document was formulated by...

Rep. Patrick Kennedy (news, bio, voting record) crashed his car near the Capitol early Thursday, and a police official said he appeared intoxicated. Kennedy said he had taken sleep medication and a prescription anti-nausea drug that can cause drowsiness. Kennedy, D-R.I., addressed the issue after a spate of news reports. His initial statement said: "I consumed no alcohol prior to the incident."'Later, however, he issued a longer statement saying the attending physician for Congress had prescribed Phenergan on Tuesday to treat Kennedy's gastroenteritis.Kennedy said he returned to his Capitol Hill home on Wednesday evening after a final series of votes...

With the NFL draft now a thing of the past, It's time to hand out some grades. 1. N.Y. Jets: OK, they passed on Matt Leinart and didn't make a serious trade offer to move up to grab Reggie Bush, but they had a very good draft and took a solid quarterback prospect in Oregon's Kellen Clemens in the second round while rebuilding the offensive line with first-round picks D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Ohio State's Nick Mangold, who should replace long-time center Kevin Mawae. Some scouts said that Clemens ran the Texas-style offense better than Vince Young did. Huh? Buckeyes LB...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sitting on a military draft board is not a taxing job right now. With no draft, the boards have, well, no work to do — nearly 11,000 people training for a crisis that may never come. "It's not hard at all. There's nothing to it," deadpans Michael Cohen, a Selective Service System board member from Highland Park, Ill. That could change if there is a national crisis and if the government decides the crisis requires a return to the draft that ended 33 years ago. Officials say they don't expect to restart conscription — public sentiment is...

THE American public needs to be prepared for what is shaping up to be a clash of colossal proportions between the West and Iran. President Franklin D. Roosevelt masterfully prepared Americans before the United States entered World War II by initiating a peacetime draft under the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940. Now, President Bush and Congress should reinstitute selective service under a lottery without any deferments. This single action will send a strong message to three constituencies in the crisis over Iran's nuclear intentions — Iran, outside powers like China and Russia and Americans at home — and...

How much trouble is a number worth? Reggie Bush, projected as the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, thinks it's at least worth petitioning the league. "I want to see if I can keep No. 5," Bush told ESPN The Magazine on the set of a Subway commercial he was shooting in Los Angeles. The former USC running back and 2005 Heisman Trophy winner has been wearing that jersey number since high school. NFL rules, however, don't allow for running backs to take that number -- 33 years ago the league adopted a numbering system to make it easier...

Do you support Congressman Rangel's legislation to reinstate the military draft if the U.S. remains in Iraq? *Yes *No *Undecided

NEWS ANALYSIS Rep. Charlie Rangel Continues Push for Draft By Jim Kouri Mar 9, 2006 Some Democrat Party lawmakers claim the volunteer military may become dangerously stretched thin by events occuring in Iran, North Korea and Syria. They believe the answer to acquiring more troops is to reinstate the draft. Last month, Congressman Charles Rangel reintroduced new legislation to reinstate the military draft that will include draftees up to 42 years of age. "Every day that the military option is on the table, as declared by the President in his State of the Union address, in Iran, North Korea, and...

Knight Ridder Newspapers The time may have come to begin seriously considering and debating the establishment of a true national service obligation for the youth of America. For 33 years this nation has been defended by an all-volunteer military, and everyone from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to the chiefs of all the services as well as a large majority in Congress would love to keep things just that way. So would the typical American. A volunteer military is much more convenient. The vast majority of Americans are happy in their knowledge that their sons and daughters don’t have to go....

WASHINGTON — A New York congressman has once again proposed reinstating the draft, not just to boost the ranks of U.S. fighters but also to discourage what he sees as some politicians’ cavalier attitude toward military action. Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., has introduced the legislation twice before, each time with no success. Two years ago the House rejected his idea by a 402-2 vote. Rangel, a Korean War veteran who has been a critic of the war in Iraq, said he doubts the measure will make any progress this time either, but believes debate over the issue will re-emphasize the...