Rangel proposes draft

Rep. Charles Rangel, D, N.Y., will propose a new conscription measure early next year, he said on "Face the Nation" Sunday.

From The Washington Post:

"If we're going to challenge Iran and challenge North Korea and then, as some people have asked, to send more troops to Iraq, we can't do that without a draft," Rangel said.

He said having a draft would not necessarily mean everyone called to duty would have to serve. Instead, "young people (would) commit themselves to a couple of years in service to this great republic, whether it's our seaports, our airports, in schools, in hospitals," with a promise of educational benefits at the end of service.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, S.C., R, on the same program, agreed.

"I think we can do this with an all-voluntary service, all-voluntary Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy. And if we can't, then we'll look for some other option," said Graham, who is assigned as a reserve judge to the Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals.

Rangel said that being drafted would not necessarily mean military service. Rather, "young people (would) commit themselves to a couple of years in service to this great republic, whether it's our seaports, our airports, in schools, in hospitals," and would receive educational benefits, in return.

Rangel's statements came on a day when Sen. John McCain, R., Arizona, said that more troops are needed in Iraq. From BREITBART:

"I believe the consequences of failure are catastrophic," said McCain, R-Ariz. "It will spread to the region. You will see Iran more emboldened. Eventually, you could see Iran pose a greater threat to the state of Israel."

With about 141,000 U.S. troops in Iraq more than 3 1/2 years into the war, the American military has strained to provide enough forces while allowing for adequate rest and retraining between deployments.

But McCain, who spent 5 1/2 years as a prisoner of war after his Navy plane was shot down in 1967, recalled the Vietnam War's lessons. "We left Vietnam. It was over. We just had to heal the wounds of war," he said. "We leave this place, chaos in the region, and they'll follow us home. So there's a great deal more at stake here in this conflict, in my view, a lot more."

[...]

"The consequences of failure are so severe that I will exhaust every possibility to try to fix this situation. Because it's not the end when American troops leave. The battleground shifts, and we'll be fighting them again," McCain said. "You read Zarqawi, and you read bin Laden. ... It's not just Iraq that they're interested in. It's the region, and then us."

It seems to me that McCain, at least, has the measure of things.

I also like Rangel's idea of a "draft" that requires some measure of service from younger Americans. I prefer voluntary military service, at this stage of the game, but that could always change should things get worse. Having a system in place to conduct forced conscriptions is a must. But Lord, do I hate to agree with Rangel.

I believe that every American should give back to this country. If that means forced "service" of some type, so be it. We are short of teachers in this country. Short of qualified medical personnel, cops, firefighters and security people. We need volunteers to help the elderly, the homeless and our wounded and disabled veterans. We need help maintaining our infrastructure, fixing our roads and supporting the government and military.

Not only would it benefit our great country as a whole, but these "draftees" would learn a trade, earn educational benefits and probably learn a lot more about life and service than they would flipping burgers at Mickey D's.

So a "draft", in that context, works for me.

Some things are more important than the new PS3.

Also posting:

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• Hot Air: Video: Rangel says he’ll introduce a bill to bring back the draft
• Old War Dogs: To draft or not to draft...
• Say Anything: North Dakota's Most Popular Political Blog - Democrats To Try And Re-Instate The Draft?
• Sister Toldjah » Rangel again calls for reinstituting the draft
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