Comments on: Read My Lips: No New Draft

By: Bryan

Bryan — Sat, 23 Dec 2006 19:42:05 +0000

Michael, I don’t think the draft should even be talked about until the “no exceptions” is part of the law and requires a two-thirds vote to be over ridden.

Steve, I don’t know about the absolute numbers but the services are down to one basic training facility apiece after all of the base closings. There are also very few advanced training facilities left as a result of the downsizing. There is no way these facilities can absorb any major increase in force size, because even if we had the space we don’t have the instructors.

That is a fact, Andante. He lies even when the truth would be better for him.

By: andante

andante — Sat, 23 Dec 2006 17:07:42 +0000

If the Shrubbery’s lips were moving, he was lying.

By: Steve Bates

Steve Bates — Sat, 23 Dec 2006 16:07:43 +0000

I might support a draft if I had ironclad assurance that the first people drafted, trained for combat and sent to Iraq or another combat zone would be all eligible children of the preznit, vice preznit and all members of both houses of Congress of both parties. That’s my “no exceptions” clause. Otherwise, I will actively oppose a draft.

I wish I could find where I read it this week, but at least one blogger or columnist asserted that the U.S. military has facilities for training fewer than 10,000 new recruits at a time, no matter how many volunteers and/or draftees it takes in. That’s the kind of thing that surely cannot be instantly expanded. It seems almost unbelievably foolish to waste those training slots on people who really, really don’t want to be there.

Did you notice that the “test” of the Selective Service apparatus is scheduled for 2009, by which time presumably (though one never knows) Bush will be out of office?

By: Michael

Michael — Sat, 23 Dec 2006 05:02:33 +0000

I doubt the head of the VA would get his way on the “no exceptions” thingie, given that the Deciderer benefited from his cushy TANG slot and quite probably would want to arrange something similar for his two otherwise-useless daughters.