Is It Time For a Draft?

Personally, I think some kind of compulsory national service obligation would make our foreign policy less militaristic. When you have to convince Mr. and Mrs. Joe Smith that the country needs their son or daughter for cannon fodder you best have a compelling reason…and uppity Marxists in Grenada ain’t gonna cut it. On the other hand, reinstating a draft for the purpose of maintaining a failed policy in Iraq and Afghanistan is not a splendid idea. I hope that is what Hillary Clinton is getting at in this press release.

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton today called on President George Bush and Defense Secretary Robert Gates to clarify the Administration’s position on re-instituting the military draft, in light of White House Deputy National Security Adviser Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute saying yesterday that the draft “has always been an option on the table” – which contradicts previously stated Administration policy.

“Our volunteer military is the best in the world and has been performing heroically under difficult circumstances,” Clinton said. “While our force is under strain, a draft is not the answer. I call upon President Bush and Secretary Gates to clarify Gen. Lute’s remarks and affirm their commitment to the all-volunteer force. Rather than raising the specter of a draft, the Administration should be focusing on providing our current service members with the equipment and benefits they need and deserve.”

I know I wouldn’t serve in our armed services under our current leadership and I don’t believe anyone should be compelled to serve under them. That doesn’t mean that a national service program is necessarily a bad idea. But now is not the time to contemplate one.

Author: BooMan

Martin Longman a contributing editor at the Washington Monthly. He is also the founder of Booman Tribune and Progress Pond. He has a degree in philosophy from Western Michigan University.