Nobody's Feeling The Whole Going Off To War Vibe: Here Comes The Draft???
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, Army Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute said Friday 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..." Lute added.
Oh really, is President Bush aware of this?
When Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., called for reinstating the draft as a way to end the Iraq war some time ago, critics accused him of political grandstanding. Guess he was just ahead of the curve.
Black Military Recruits on the Decline
Now the official word is that repeated deployments are affecting not only the troops but their families, who have major say over whether a someone decides to stay in the military, Lute said.
Translation: Military wives are saying if you re-enlist, I'm leaving your ass. The reason is obvious - even the folks serving are starting to no longer believe in this war against "terrorism" we're raging.
And if former Massachusetts Governor and GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney's five sons don't have to go, then why should others have to sacrifice?"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."
Bush picked Lute in mid-May as a deputy national security adviser with responsibility for ensuring efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan are coordinated with policymakers in Washington. Lute, an active-duty general, was chosen (not surprisingly) after several retired generals turned down the job.
The military conducted a draft during the Civil War and both world wars and between 1948 and 1973 until President Nixon abolished it. The Selective Service System, however, was re- established in 1980 and has maintained a registry of 18-year-old men.
If we can have a female president, then the registry should also include women, right?