Draft: It’s Not Just For Beer Anymore
by Jason at 1:34 am on April 22nd, 2004 in Politics
Earlier today, I was on the phone with my mom when the conversation shifted to the war in Iraq. After a few minutes of back-and-forth, Mom unloaded the dreaded “V” reference:
“What’s scary about this situation is that I’ve seen this before,” Mom said. “I’ve already been through this kind of thing.” Of course, she was referring to Vietnam, a comparison that causes the Iraq war’s supporters to break out into fits.
And despite what anyone thinks of that comparison today, it will be hard to deny it if a draft goes into effect. Think this is conspiracy-theory stuff? Think again. Senator Chuck Hagel (R-Nebraska) is one of the lawmakers that is starting to talk about the possibility of a draft.
“There’s not an American … that doesn’t understand what we are engaged in today and what the prospects are for the future,” Hagel said. “Why shouldn’t we ask all of our citizens to bear some responsibility and pay some price?” Hagel also argued that restoring the draft would force “our citizens to understand the intensity and depth of challenges we face.”
Hagel also curiously observed that a draft would spread the burden of military service across all social classes, taking some of the weight off of the middle and lower classes that traditionally sign up for service. Of course, one only needs to look at the war record of the President (who was allowed to sign up for “non oversees duty” in the Texas Air National Guard because of social status and family connections) to see how realistic THAT statement is in the real world. Spare me.
Now, the possibility of a draft happening in the near future is slim. In an election year, the administration would rather set themselves on fire than discuss the possibility of compulsory military service. But if the Iraq conflict continues to deteriorate, will anyone be really surprised if possibility becomes reality after the election? While it’s perhaps unfair to compare Iraq and Vietnam just yet, it’s helpful to remember that Vietnam took years to develop into a full-out war with thousands of casualties.
Our decisions now will dictate whether the Iraq war follows the same path.