[CWOJackson]

The Republicans should do everything they can to insure that nothing impedes this bill from being introduced. Once it's on the table they should get very public in their opposition but suggest that the Democrats might actually be able to actually push the bill through.

[Cathryn Mataga]

Really, I think this draft thing would be suicide for the Democrats. Republicans should campain next election as the anti-draft party -- with Democrats as the draft party.

[RANGERAIRBORNE]

"Vietnam draftees had added "no value" to the military, a comment that infuriated veterans groups."

This is what I really like about Rumsfeld- he is not afraid to speak the truth. I served in the "draftee Army" , and I cannot imagine what the hell we would do with a million or so disgruntled, inept, and unwilling "soldiers" in today's high-tech, fast-paced Army.

Potato-peeling has been automated, thank you very much- and most other military jobs take too long to become proficient at for a short-termer draftee.

I volunteered for Special Forces, at a time when casualties were extremely high, specifically to escape from the company of poorly-trained and poorly-led draftees. Someone should write a book about what a draftee Army was REALLY like- not the romantic notions of "young men of all sorts of backgrounds learning to get along", and all that crap.

That stuff is all Government propaganda. The sons of the rich or politically well-connected did not serve, and the few who did (like Al Gore) got cushy billets with less risk than they would have have experienced at a fraternity kegger! (Or they got a nice slot in the National Guard...)

[Magoo]

Tis folly to cry "wolf" in any arena of public life. Politics so much the more so.

[TrappedInLiberalHell]

"One way to avoid a lot more wars to come is institute the draft"

This is not, in and of itself, a good reason to institute the draft. It seems to me what they're saying is "Let's stuff the armed forces with a lot of people who don't want to be there, so our leaders will be afraid to fight just wars with their weakened army".

To give an analogy of how I see it: My wife is an Australian citizen. She says that voting is mandatory there. I would hate for that to happen here. I couldn't stand the thought of my vote being more than offset by a bunch of idiots who don't know anything about the candidates.

If I'm missing Mr. Hollings' point, please help me to understand.

[MarkDel]

This is a truly pathetic attempt by Democrats to turn "fence riders" into members of the anti-war block. While Rumsfeld's words may seem harsh, they were essentially correct if you study the history of the Vietnam War. If you took a survey of current members of our Armed Forces, they would definitely tell you that the all-volunteer force is VASTLY superior and we should not disrupt 30 years of military strength by going back to the draft. The draft was appropriate in World War II when mass numbers of troops were necessary, but then again, in those days, you didn't need a draft all that often as most young men from that generation were more than willing to serve their country on a voluntary basis.

[11th Earl of Mar]

I have the solution. Only draft Democrats.