"War Czar" on draft see-saw
Not even the White House likes the idea, but Bush's top military adviser on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan says the draft is always an option to consider. The "war czar" Lt. General Douglas Lute admits in an interview on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" that the military was struggling to recruit over the early parts of the summer, though they surpassed their July recruiting goals and pulled in about 10,000 new soldiers. The military says the public's lack of support towards the Middle East wars has made the recruiting environment difficult.
Still, the Pentagon and White House insist a draft is not being seriously considered at this time. In part, because the of the politics, but also because it is believed the volunteer units could be compromised. Soliders who do not want to be there will degrade the complicated and professional nature of the force, says the military. Even those in Congress such as Charles Wrangle (D-NY) bring up the draft as a way to remind the general public that, though our daily lives are unaffected, we are, in fact, still at war.
How do you feel about the prospects of a draft, especially if the miliary begins to thin? Do you think the bush administration should look further into a draft, or the opposite; that maybe it shouldn't even be an option to consider?
By Jessica Marcus |
August 14, 2007; 10:44 AM ET
Previous: A Different Kind Of Stowaway |
Next: Bad Bosses
Posted by: Rich, Bristow VA | August 15, 2007 12:46 PM
Congressman Charles "Wrangle"? How about the proper spelling of his name - Rangel.
Posted by: Eric Goldman, Arlington, VA | August 15, 2007 10:18 PM
Post a Comment
We encourage users to analyze, comment on and even challenge washingtonpost.com's articles, blogs, reviews and multimedia features.
User reviews and comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions.
Why would Bush seek a draft - a political bombshell for the republicans? And in fact he does not need to - He is currently using the authority Congress provided in TITLE 10 Subtitle E PART II CHAPTER 1209 ยง 12305, "StopLoss" provision to detain troops from leaving. Under this authority, Troops cannot seperate (either in a war zone or in the states within 90 days on either side of a deployment (Pending or returning). The Pentagon just returns troops to a unit that is within the 90 day window....and voila... perpetual servitude. No need for a draft, however the same problem of morale and attitude exist as troops who are 'screwed' by this work side by side with the volunteers....and the volunteers realize that it will happen to them next