Posted on 11/18/2005 10:41:55 AM PST by jbwbubba
Dem lawmakers split on military draft By Mary Lynn F. Jones
Democratic lawmakers were divided yesterday over whether the United States should reinstate the draft even as an adviser to Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) suggested increasing active-duty troops by 40,000.
Retired Gen. Wesley Clark, a former presidential hopeful who has now endorsed Kerry, warned that the volunteer-force concept is at “grave risk” and that the draft should be the last resort.
He said, “We better be thinking about the draft or have it as a fallback. We’ve got to be honest with the commitment that we’re faced with. We’ve got about two years to fix these [shortage] problems before the bill comes due.”
Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), ranking member of the Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, on a panel discussion at Suffolk University, added: “The only way to increase the size of the armed services fairly is with a draft.”
(Excerpt) Read more at hillnews.com ...
The only war this guy cares about is the war against Bush.
People are already beginning to see through his sad act.
you are right on that. They want President Bush to make some type of comment on possible draft and run with it. That's want the Democrats want, but want to blame someone so that they can justify the need.
I can just see the MSM . They continue to try and find anything that they can get any kind of media reaction. The anti-war activist have gotten to the democrats. GOP is so slow in responding to any attacks.
With respect to Dems and libs, no matter how cynical you get, it's hard to keep up.
ya know the Lefties/Liberals/'Rats don't know what the *uck they want.
first they want to bring back the draft then they don't want the recruiters at the schools
gezzzzzzzzzussssss...
if I was married to one of these clowns, I'd be spending half my life in a shrink's office!! LMAO
The bill before Congress was brought up as a publicity stunt by the 'Rats. If I were Hastert or Frist, I would have brought it up for a vote the minute it hit the bin.
May want to add a published date of July 29, 2004 to this thread.
I saw murtha on TV yesterday. He seemed senile to me.
GOP is so slow in responding to any attacks.I'm cautiously optimistic. Did you see Mehlman on Meet the Press? He was great.
You're right. They don't want to reinstitute the draft. They want to call checkmate!
1) See we TOLD you he would reinstate the draft!
2) See he has NO clue how to win this war!
It's a when did you stop beating your wife moment.
The BEST alternative, imho for the republicans at this point is to offer up a bill increasing the sign up bonus and increase the pay of the military. Or think outside the box! Make it so people WANT to sign up voluntarily so that the Dems lose all around.
Offer incentives such as for each year of active duty you get 6 months immune from income taxes - pay zero.
After 4 years active duty, offer a $10,000 down payment on a house.
????
The second is to ruin the military by introducing just the kind of people we don't want. As a military officer I have seen the quality of recruits go down with the decline of our society. We have almost a 25% attrition rate of first term enlistees with those who volunteered to come in. How successful would a draft be when there is absolutely no stigma from showing up at the induction center smoking a joint and kissing your gay lover.
The fact that we have an all-volunteer force makes it impossible for them to say our soldiers are in Iraq against their will. One minute after a draft is reinstituted, every liberal politician in the US will be stampeding to the cameras to claim that the poor and minorities are being forced to fight the war while the rich white boys get college deferments and stay home.
It's so ironic--Iraq is in no way like Vietnam, as the liberals claim, but they are trying in every way possible to make it like Vietnam. That, too, is a strategy to turn Americans against the war.
sounds good to me
Exactly. That's why everyone should henceforth refer to the Dems as the "Cindy Sheehan Party." I'm sure that'll do their PR tons of good.
This is a lot of bull durham. What the Democrats are thinking is this: Just to talk of a draft will frighten people and make them angry; urging the president to go with the idea will play right into their hands and weaken the GOP's standing in the Congress.
The Democrats have been spreading this rumor since the beginning of the Iraq war because it will make the president look like an evil man.
How about we exempt all active duty pay and allowances from all taxes - Federal, State & local - and give full Social Security credit without payment???
We would have plenty of volunteers who knew a good deal when they saw one.
Facts, what do facts have to do with it?
silly you.
;-)
Al that Rangel cares about is the fact that a disproportionate number of blacks in his voting base eat that claptrap up for breakfast.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.