The hawks and neocons understand that a draft would mean an end to the Iraq war and the future war of opportunity plans in the middle east, so they will resist it in every way possible.

The war on terrorism is far from over, as Army Chief of Staff General Peter Schoomaker recently underscored when he said, "I believe that we are closer to the beginning (in Iraq)... than we are to the end." Consequently, it's important to realize that expensive contractors and complex technologies can only deliver so much and that statistical gamesmanship and excessive bonuses are failing to deliver the quality and quantity of soldiers needed to deal with Iraq and Afghanistan and to respond to other eventual regional emergencies. Maybe discussing a military draft openly should no longer be off-limits. Surely, every American--especially the Vietnam generation--knows that the draft isn't something to be taken lightly. But I guarantee you that given today's recruiting realities, it can deliver a better variety of qualified personnel when compared to what the Army is beginning to "waive into its gates" under slyly re-designed recruiting and retention rules. And there are factors that favor a military draft in national emergencies. American citizens and families will have a higher stake in the nation's foreign policy--their sons and aughters. Becoming a "shareholder " in our foreign policy will ensure that wars are properly declared and diplomacy will have its day before the guns speak and blind violence rules. Also bear in mind that morally and ethically grounded draftees with interests outside the service won't tolerate careerist professionals running amok.

Hell, I'm an able-bodied 21 year old male, and I support a draft. Why? Because I know that not one of the soccer moms I see driving around with yellow ribbons on their Suburbans would let their precious Matt or Justyn get pulled from his frat house and sent to get his face blown off in the desert so that The Decider can kick the can down the hall a little longer. They may not bat an eye at the legions of inner-city blacks with nowhere else to go returning with an arm and a leg missing. They may not grasp the mountain of debt that Justyn and Matt will have to pay off armed only with their worthless MBAs. And they hope that the Republicans will subsidize those $60 and $70 trips to the gas station with another tax cut. But if there's one thing that will end this godforsaken Strangelovian neocon debacle, it's when their mindless suburban enablers actually end up footing the bill with their own flesh and blood. Scratch that, it's not one thing, it's the only thing. So I say, bring it on. Start up the draft. All this "All-Volunteer Army of Tomorrow!" talk is nonsense anyway, when you can be an overweight autistic with webbed feet and still have all four branches fighting over you just so somebody can go out there and take an IED for the team. Oh, and for all you wingnuts: it's what Strauss would have done. Or whatever.

Also check out this article at Time: As the armed militias do their bloody work, neither U.S. nor Iraqi forces show any ability to curb them.

Military Stryker vehicles saturating Baghdad's most dangerous neighborhoods have been credited with what Iraqi authorities say is a 30 percent drop in violence in the city since the deployment of 5,000 additional U.S. troops to the region.

While U.S. figures show a 22 percent drop in violence, either way, its good news for the troops.

The added U.S. troops were brought in after a military operation earlier this summer flooded Baghdad with Iraqi forces, only to find the violence worsened. U.S. commanders say the additional American firepower can be only a temporary solution. "It has to be the Iraq people with the Iraqi security forces that ultimately bring success and security to Baghdad," Beech said. But hope has often gone sour in Iraq. If the country's political leaders cannot make their own peace, America's latest success in Baghdad could quickly reverse.

Or is this just more of the old guys sending the young guys out to fight?

It's a lie to say the Left WANTS a draft. Pure 14K BS. We just expect a draft as a part of the progression of the neocons' WOT. The next big hit will seal the deal.

No time. No place. No where.

I'm all for it. I'll sign up for the Navy as soon as the announce the draft, but I doubt the war will even last long enough for me to set foot on a ship.

as soon as they get ahold of a boat.

we'll give you the interest on this 102 billion (i.e. $425 million dollars a month) to spend on infrastructure - housing, roads, sewers, irrigation, power plants, phone lines, hospitals, schools, parks ect.

hues writes:

we'll give you the interest on this 102 billion (i.e. $425 million dollars a month) to spend on infrastructure - housing, roads, sewers, irrigation, power plants, phone lines, hospitals, schools, parks ect.

The problem is that this is not about money. Please catch on.

"The essence of the Liberal outlook lies not in what opinions are held, but in how they are held: instead of being held dogmatically, they are held tentatively, and with a consciousness that new evidence may at any moment lead to their abandonment."

REPORTER: Mr. Bin Ladin, will the end of the United States' presence in Saudi Arabia, their withdrawal, will that end your call for jihad against the United States and against the US ? BIN LADIN: The cause of the reaction must be sought and the act that has triggered this reaction must be eliminated. The reaction came as a result of the US aggressive policy towards the entire Muslim world and not just towards the Arabian peninsula. So if the cause that has called for this act comes to an end, this act, in turn, will come to an end. So, the driving-away jihad against the US does not stop with its withdrawal from the Arabian peninsula, but rather it must desist from aggressive intervention against Muslims in the whole world.

The "threat" of Janet Jackson's cleavage,

The radical moslems don't care about money. They are motivated by hatred, and hatred alone.

it must desist from aggressive intervention against Muslims in the whole world.

It is the slow degradatiohn of our liberties to the PC crowd.

Quite a few people I know, including yours truly, took the position that it was the demonstrated violence against women

edger Nice quote about liberals. Unfortunately it isn't believed in by the Left.

He is guided by conviction. He believes he is right and above a discussion with people who have views in direct opposition to him.

One chronologist has just noted that it has been exactly 1,800 days since George W. Bush said he would get Osama bin Laden. What got in the way of Bush's plan? Two things -- Dick Cheney and Iraq. Had Bush stayed on track, shut down bin Laden and gotten to work on redressing some of the bubbling grievances in the Middle East, the world might look substantially different today.

Now, that comment ought to come across as odd to those who have been following this blog for the past some three years or so.

But this thread, and people like Slado's reaction to it, is the kind of thing that extinguishes such flames rather quickly.

"In times of universal deceit, telling the truth will be a revolutionary act."

The radical moslems don't care about money. They are motivated by hatred, and hatred alone. Your belief that can be "bought off" is juuvenile and flies in face of everything they have said and done. Remember what OBL said when he was asked if the jihad would stop if we left the Arabian Pennisula.

glanton - Your problem remains that you won't accept the fact that the other side also has values and also cares about things. That severely limits you.