Dodging the Draft

General Lute seemed to disappear after being confirmed as the “Iraq war czar” but in his first interview since being confirmed he may have made himself unpopular among both Democrats and Republicans. Republicans have avoided use of the draft, most likely due to the political ramifications as well as what it would remind voters of their own personal histories. Lute isn’t ruling the draft out:

“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,” said Lute, who is sometimes referred to as the “Iraq war czar.” It was his first interview since he was confirmed by the Senate in June.

I doubt that the Republicans would be so politically foolish, but there is always the danger that this was an intentional trial balloon. Bush says he does not plan on restoring the draft, but he also claimed he planned to use the authority granted to him under the Iraq War Resolution to seek a diplomatic solution when the Downing Street Memos later proved he was lying.

Most Democrats oppose the draft but there was a misguided effort by Charles Rangel to introduce the draft to prove a point. The idea was that if threatened by a draft,  Republicans who back the war without seeing any danger to their own families would change their minds. Some conservatives tried to spin this as evidence that Democrats support the draft but the draft was opposed by virtually all Democrats, including the House leadership,  and this measure was ultimately defeated by a vote of 402 to 2.

While this was far more a stunt than a serious political argument, there are a handful on the left who actually take Rangel’s arguments seriously. This might represent a litmus test of the philosophy behind the wide variety of individuals lumped into the left in our simplistic division of the political spectrum. I oppose the draft for essentially the same reason that I oppose slavery. Perhaps exceptions may need to be made for the draft in situations such as World War II, but it is not reasonable to argue that both the Iraq war is wrong and that we should compromise principles in order to provide enough troops.

There is the possibility that a draft would increase opposition to the war, assuming that children of Republicans couldn’t find ways out as in the past. It is doubtful that a draft would prevent unjust wars in the future any more than it has in the past. The increased availability of soldiers could also make the neoconservative dreams more feasible. Regardless of the political effects of restoring the draft, children should not be used as pawns in such a political calculation which could easily backfire.

2 Comments

  1. 1
    Tim Cowboy says:

    Yo All,
    Was not sure how to post on “John Kerry” blogs,but I’ll give it a shot here. John Kerry is a disgrace to this country, during and after the Vietnam War ended. The North Vietnamese have a War Museum,in it is a display to “honor John Kerry” the great hero on the Viet Cong,ruthless killers of there own people. How anyone can support this punk is beyond me.

  2. 2
    Ron Chusid says:

    Tim Cowboy,

    Before trying to post you might want to check out your facts rather than repeating right wing talking points which have repeatedly been shown to be lies. This claim is just one of many discredited lies about Kerry published by the Swift Boat Liars.

    The picture of Kerry in a Vietnamese musuem is in an exhibit devoted to teh restoration of diplomatic relations between the United States and Vietnam in the 1990’s. The picutre was taken of Kerry as part of a delegation which President Clinton sent to Hanoi in 1993. Other pictures nearby include other Americans who played key roles in the war, including former Admiral Elmo Zumwalt,former Secretary of Defense Robert Mcnamara, and former Secretary of State Warren Christopher.

    People like you who show such disrespect for the American troops, including a well documetned war hero such as John Kerry, are really disgraces to this country. Kerry was no great hero of the Viet Cong, but people like you who side with the extremist, authoritarin right wing are their ideological brothers.

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