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| occrider |
| quote: |
Iraq war czar: Consider a draft
Story Highlights
Army Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute is president's new war adviser
He says the all-volunteer force is stressed by frequent tours
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Frequent tours for U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan have stressed the all-volunteer force and made it worth considering a return to a military draft, President Bush's new war adviser said Friday.
Army Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute is the president's war adviser. Several retired generals turned down the post.
"I think it makes sense to certainly consider it," Army Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute said in an interview with National Public Radio's "All Things Considered."
"And I can tell you, this has always been an option on the table. But ultimately, this is a policy matter between meeting the demands for the nation's security by one means or another," said Lute, who is sometimes referred to as the "Iraq war czar." It was his first interview since he was confirmed by the Senate in June.
President Nixon abolished the draft in 1973. Restoring it, Lute said, would be a "major policy shift" and Bush has made it clear that he doesn't think it's necessary.
"The president's position is that the all-volunteer military meets the needs of the country and there is no discussion of a draft. Gen. Lute made that point as well," National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.
In the interview, Lute also said that "Today, the current means of the all-volunteer force is serving us exceptionally well."
Still, he said the repeated deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan affect not only the troops but their families, who can influence whether a service member decides to stay in the military.
"There's both a personal dimension of this, where this kind of stress plays out across dinner tables and in living room conversations within these families," he said. "And ultimately, the health of the all-volunteer force is going to rest on those sorts of personal family decisions."
The military conducted a draft during the Civil War and both world wars and between 1948 and 1973. The Selective Service System, re-established in 1980, maintains a registry of 18-year-old men.
Rep. Charles Rangel, D-New York, has called for reinstating the draft as a way to end the Iraq war.
Bush picked Lute in mid-May as a deputy national security adviser with responsibility for ensuring efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan are coordinated with policymakers in Washington. Lute, an active-duty general, was chosen after several retired generals turned down the job.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/08...t.ap/index.html
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The beginning of the end folks. |
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| Shakka |
| quote: | Originally posted by occrider
The beginning of the end folks. |
End of what? |
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| Sunsnail |
| I thought the Iraq War, which wasn't an official war, was over? |
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| jonSun |
| quote: | Originally posted by Sunsnail
I thought the Iraq War, which wasn't an official war, was over? |
Yep
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| pmoisse |
Militarily, this makes sense. They need boots on the ground and not enough people are volunteering. So....draft 'em!
Politically, I think it's suicide, but stranger things have happened. I'd be entertained to watch them try, at least. to enforce conscription. in this media day & age, any senator or congressman's son who got drafted would either have to go or be outed as a political refugee from this and other stupid wars that the US finds themselves mired in. |
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| Q5echo |
Don't, Don't, Don't believe the hype!
i'm sure some of you can't help it though |
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| occrider |
| quote: | Originally posted by Shakka
End of what? |
The end to the extent that the public is willing to accept the incompetence that this administration has demonstrated in handling this war. It's not like war supporters have the intelligence to tangibly link its effect on the economy and society. Perhaps now that they or their children are affected, perhaps they'll think twice and start demanding results rather than suck the tete of perpetual incompetence. |
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| occrider |
| quote: | Originally posted by Q5echo
Don't, Don't, Don't believe the hype!
i'm sure some of you can't help it though |
Oh yes, you of all people would know when to not believe "the hype" despite that it comes from the Iraq war czar. But hey you're probably used to lies we've received from administration officials over the past several years so I understand where you're coming from.
http://www.americanprogress.org/iss.../timeline.html/ |
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