Bush War Adviser Says Draft Worth a Look

[David S]

Bush War Adviser Says Draft Worth a Look

Friday August 10, 2007 11:31 PM


By RICHARD LARDNER

WASHINGTON (AP) - Frequent tours for U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan have stressed the all-volunteer force and made it worth considering a return to a military draft, President Bush's new war adviser said Friday.

``I think it makes sense to certainly consider it,'' Army Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute said in an interview with National Public Radio's ``All Things Considered.''

``And I can tell you, this has always been an option on the table. But ultimately, this is a policy matter between meeting the demands for the nation's security by one means or another,'' Lute added in his first interview since he was confirmed by the Senate in June.

President Nixon abolished the draft in 1973. Restoring it, Lute said, would be a ``major policy shift'' and Bush has made it clear that he doesn't think it's necessary.

The repeated deployments affect not only the troops but their families, who can influence whether a service member decides to stay in the military, Lute said.

``There's both a personal dimension of this, where this kind of stress plays out across dinner tables and in living room conversations within these families,'' he said. ``And ultimately, the health of the all-volunteer force is going to rest on those sorts of personal family decisions.''

full story at http://www.freemarketnews.com/WorldNews.asp?nid=47099

[Ebowed]

The selective service should be abolished and the draft should be constitutionally prohibited.

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

The selective service should be abolished and the draft should be constitutionally prohibited.

[NDN]

The selective service should be abolished and the draft should be constitutionally prohibited.

I agree, except for one thing: As far as I'm concerned, no amendment is needed because the draft is unconstitutional, regardless of what the stooges on the Supreme Court say.

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

The constittion only matters as it is interpreted.

[NDN]

The constittion only matters as it is interpreted.

At the present time, this is unfortunately true.

In any case, I wouldn't worry. Congress isn't going to vote for a draft. We're more likely to see Cheney impeached than that.

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

The constitution is dead and won't be coming back. All we can hope for is the gradual slide towards the empire of the west/WorldGov to be delayed until we're too old/dead to care...

[tik 🪀✨]

The constitution is dead and won't be coming back. All we can hope for is the gradual slide towards the empire of the west/WorldGov to be delayed until we're too old/dead to care...

Congratulations! You're officially the Atlas Forums Crazy Uncle!

[Padfoot]

I've always heard that Ontario is beautiful.....

[Angel of Death]

Too bad there is no draft. Would make them think twice before going off to war. I know it didn't work with Vietnam, but with today's political climate it's suicide with a different name.

[Friz]

The selective service should be abolished and the draft should be constitutionally prohibited.

I agree, except for one thing: As far as I'm concerned, no amendment is needed because the draft is unconstitutional, regardless of what the stooges on the Supreme Court say.

Then it should be amended anyway, just to clarify things for inevitable self-serving politicians in the future.

[riceowl]

so are spelling lessons to random forum-perusers.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

One thing is true.  For the foreign policy that the current administration is pursing, we need a larger Army.  Took them five years too long to reach that obvious conclusion, but at keast they realized it at last.

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

The constitution is dead and won't be coming back. All we can hope for is the gradual slide towards the empire of the west/WorldGov to be delayed until we're too old/dead to care...

Congratulations! You're officially the Atlas Forums Crazy Uncle!

No that role is already taken by MODU.

[David S]

Too bad there is no draft. Would make them think twice before going off to war. I know it didn't work with Vietnam, but with today's political climate it's suicide with a different name.

I wouldn't be so sure about that. People have short memories. I'm amazed by the number of people today who think the Vietnam war was a good idea. Also right after 9/11 people were justifiably angry. The government might have been able to sell the draft idea at that time, had they tried.

[??????????]

David S,

The United States was attacked by communist forces in the Gulf of Tonkin. The US was under no choice but to attack North Vietnam as a result.

[MODU]

The constitution is dead and won't be coming back. All we can hope for is the gradual slide towards the empire of the west/WorldGov to be delayed until we're too old/dead to care...

Congratulations! You're officially the Atlas Forums Crazy Uncle!

No that role is already taken by MODU.

More like Grandpa. 

Anyway, the draft won't be used.  Yes, our military is too small (as I've been saing for over a decade) compliments of the first part of the Gulf War, when we dominated Iraq from the air and with precision weapons.  We fell into the same mindset as we did following WWII when it was thought that all we need was nukes and no boots on the ground.  Combined with the gutting of our military in the 90s and the collapse of the USSR, we don't have enough troops to place on the ground today, hence the reason why we've been tapping the national guard forces.  If anything following Afghanistan and Iraq, hopefully our Congress will get their heads straight and start fully funding the armed forces again so we can increase our military size.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

David S,

The United States was attacked by communist forces in the Gulf of Tonkin. The US was under no choice but to attack North Vietnam as a result.

You actually believe what LBJ claims? LMAO.

[CultureKing]

Well, the Republicans would be basically shut out for the next few elections if they even made an attempt at a draft so I doubt anything will come about.

[??????????]

David S,

The United States was attacked by communist forces in the Gulf of Tonkin. The US was under no choice but to attack North Vietnam as a result.

You actually believe what LBJ claims? LMAO.

No, I've met a person who was aboard the naval vessel and witnessed the incident.

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

We should put Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute's personal life, contacts and anyone he has ever so much as even said 'hi' to under the microscope. Only someone working to undermine the US government by kickstarting revolution or an idiot like Rangel would suggest that seriously.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

It won't happen, b/c Bush won't realistically consider it.

[Person Man]

Yeah, who knows what will happen with this thing. The draft is a bad idea, but is good for our foreign policy, then again, we shouldn't have pursued this foreign policy anyway. I also don't think the fact that a draft would be unpopular would deter Bush.

[Ebowed]

The draft is a bad idea, but is good for our foreign policy

All-volunteer armies have historically outperformed drafted ones.

[DanielX]

Increasing the size of our nation's military - good.
Doing so by mass drafts of unwilling teenagers who are unlikely to be effective combatants, pissng off their parents and trampling everyone's civil liberties - bad.