Is there a draft in here? One would think so with all the rumor and speculation flying around talk radio and the internet that the federal government is ready to begin a military draft shortly after the election.
The rumors are based upon several developments – two bills in Congress to reinstate the draft, reports that the Selective Service System is advertising for people to serve on local draft boards, the president’s $26 million budget request for the SSS and the belief that our military is stretched too thin in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Take heart, people. A military draft taking place anytime soon is about as likely as Michael Moore voting for George Bush.
First, nothing would hamstring our military options in the war on terror – or any necessary military action – more than a universal draft. There is a huge psychological difference between sending professional, volunteer soldiers into combat and sending the nineteen year-old kid next door against his wishes. Public pressure to avoid any and all conflict would rise exponentially if we started drafting our sons and daughters.
That alone makes a draft untenable. If the president and the Pentagon think public support for our engagement in the Middle East is shaky now, a draft would send it into the dumper. Public fear and outrage would accompany any military move. And our leaders and our enemies both know that. We’d be doing ourselves no favor in limiting our options that way.
As for the bills in Congress, the Senate and House versions were introduced by Ernest Hollings and Charles Rangel, respectively. Both are Democrats. How convenient that they are now cited as evidence that the president is secretly planning to start the draft immediately after the election. It’s a political ploy so blatant that it’s almost laughable. Tellingly, Rangel voted against his own bill when the House killed it last week in a 402—2 vote.
Regarding the call for draft board volunteers, the boards were set up during the Iranian hostage crisis in 1979, with terms of twenty years. Those positions began to go vacant as the terms expired and the Selective Service System has been working to fill them ever since.
Finally, while it’s true that President Bush asked for $26 million for the Selective Service in 2005, it is the same amount he asked for in 2003 and 2004. In fact, it represents the entire budget for the Selective Service. Furthermore, the Office of Management and Budget is projecting a three-percent cut in staffing for the SSS next year. That would hardly indicate a draft is imminent.
Bottom line, it’s election time. Operatives on both sides will gladly disseminate what could charitably called misinformation to obscure reality and sway public opinion. The best defense against such tactics is to become as well informed as possible. But in a world where large numbers of voters get their political news from Jay Leno and Saturday Night Live, that may be asking a bit much.
On the bright side, the same forces that make spreading such rumors so inviting are the same ones that make them ever becoming reality so unlikely. Opponents of the war know a draft would be highly unpopular. But then, so do the people in charge. To start a draft would be political suicide. Therein, at least, democracy still works. A draft ain’t gonna happen.
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