Charlie Rangel introduces draft bill, AGAIN

[Rogue 9]

International Herald-Tribune

U.S. politician says he will introduce bill to reinstate military draft

The Associated Press
Published: November 19, 2006

WASHINGTON: A senior House Democrat said Sunday he will introduce legislation to reinstate the military draft, asserting that current troop levels are insufficient to sustain possible challenges against Iran, North Korea and Iraq.

"There's no question in my mind that this president and this administration would never have invaded Iraq, especially on the flimsy evidence that was presented to the Congress, if indeed we had a draft and members of Congress and the administration thought that their kids from their communities would be placed in harm's way," said Rep. Charles Rangel, a New York Democrat.

Rangel, a veteran of the Korean War who has unsuccessfully sponsored legislation on conscription in the past, said he will propose the measure early next year.

At a time when some lawmakers are urging the military to send more troops to Iraq, "I don't see how anyone can support the war and not support the draft," he said.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who is a colonel in the U.S. Air Force Standby Reserve, said he agreed that the U.S. does not have enough people in the military.

"I think we can do this with an all-voluntary service, all-voluntary Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy. And if we can't, then we'll look for some other option," said Graham, who is assigned as a reserve judge to the Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals.

Rangel, incoming chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, said he worried the military was being strained by its overseas commitments.

"If we're going to challenge Iran and challenge North Korea and then, as some people have asked, to send more troops to Iraq, we can't do that without a draft," Rangel said.

He said having a draft would not necessarily mean everyone called to duty would have to serve. Instead, "young people (would) commit themselves to a couple of years in service to this great republic, whether it's our seaports, our airports, in schools, in hospitals," with a promise of educational benefits at the end of service.

Graham said he believes the all-voluntary military "represents the country pretty well in terms of ethnic makeup, economic background."

Repeated polls have shown that about seven in 10 Americans oppose reinstatement of the draft and officials say they do not expect to restart conscription.

Outgoing Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told Congress in June 2005 that "there isn't a chance in the world that the draft will be brought back."

Yet the prospect of the long global fight against terrorism and the continuing U.S. commitment to stabilizing Iraq have kept the idea in the public's mind.

The military drafted conscripts during the Civil War, both world wars and between 1948 and 1973. An agency independent of the Defense Department, the Selective Service System trains, keeps an updated registry of men age 18-25 — now about 16 million — from which to supply untrained draftees that would supplement the professional all-volunteer armed forces.

Rangel and Graham appeared on "Face the Nation" on CBS.

[Mayabird]

How many times has he done this so far, and how big is the panic going to be again even though it has a snowball's chance in Atlanta in August of passing?

While I'm here, does the guy do anything else?

[frigidmagi]

This guy is a moron, I caught a USA today where he whined that there are no PhDs in the military and that the top 10% of our soceity doesn't serve. A PhD is of more value in the lab or whereever his/her speciality is and the top 10% has always avoided the draft, look at what Jr did.

Further more no military man in his right mind wants to replace volunteers with a horde of lack luster conscirpts! Think of the displince problems appearing in Iraq has is, they'll be even worse with a conscirpt military.

[Hotfoot]

You don't want PhD's serving unless it's voluntary anyway. Good god just listening to the horror stories about teaching people like that how to use a fucking safety terrifies me.

The only place for Doctors of any breed in the military as far as I'm concerned are field hospitals or R&D. Giving them a rifle and telling them to patrol is just stupid.

I don't know what this guy's agenda is, but he is a Grade-A jackass. He should know by now that it's never going to happen in the current world.

[Rogue 9]

He doesn't genuinely want it; one of these bills actually made it to the House floor through some miracle in 2004, and he voted against it. Only Jack Murtha and Pete Stark voted in favor.