# The Draft, Is It Making A Comeback? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 10, 2003, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-draft-is-it-making-a-comeback/160441 "2003-03-10T23:54:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SpeyFly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@SpeyFly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpeyFly)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2003, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-draft-is-it-making-a-comeback/160441/1 "2003-03-10T23:54:24Z")
Did a quick scan and could not find any discussion on the implamentation of the draft to carry out george’s war. What do you think, will or won’t? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-draft-is-it-making-a-comeback/160441/2 "2003-03-11T00:04:41Z")
No. There’s no reason to. We can beat Iraq without a draft…we should have enough troops. Besides, Rumsfeld has publicly spoken against the idea, arguing that draftees don’t make good soldiers. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-draft-is-it-making-a-comeback/160441/3 "2003-03-11T00:09:14Z")
Considering the last draft law authorizing conscription expired in **1973** , Congress would have to pass new legislation to reinstate the draft. I don’t see that happening, it would be very unpopular, and would be political suicide. ---
**Author:** ![ElJeffe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/958977/32.png) [@ElJeffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElJeffe)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-draft-is-it-making-a-comeback/160441/4 "2003-03-11T00:20:46Z")
Like the others have said. Not a snowball’s chance in Hell. No reason to, couldn’t get it done if they wanted to. Jeff ---
**Author:** ![SpeyFly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@SpeyFly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpeyFly)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-draft-is-it-making-a-comeback/160441/5 "2003-03-11T00:28:31Z")
Yes, while I agree that this would take congressional approval, if george wishes to fight terrorism and protect the world from terrorists in every corner of the world it would seem to me that a much bigger military presence would be in order. Wouldn’t you think that to protect the oil fields and production facilities in the Middle East would take an army? ---
**Author:** ![SpeyFly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@SpeyFly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpeyFly)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-draft-is-it-making-a-comeback/160441/6 "2003-03-11T00:31:10Z")
Then you add in Korea, South and Central America, Asia and the rest I can’t emagine that we could do this with a volunteer only armed forces. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-draft-is-it-making-a-comeback/160441/7 "2003-03-11T00:36:00Z")
I hope not. The last thing I need is someone who doesn’t want to be there distracting me from doing my job. ---
**Author:** ![Brutus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Brutus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brutus)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-draft-is-it-making-a-comeback/160441/8 "2003-03-11T00:57:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SpeyFly \* > \*\*Then you add in Korea, South and Central America, Asia and the rest I can’t emagine that we could do this with a volunteer only armed forces. \*\* No need to imagine. It’s already being done. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-draft-is-it-making-a-comeback/160441/9 "2003-03-11T01:02:44Z")
Not only would a draft be highly unpopular on its own, it would dramatically increase scrutiny of any further military ventures. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-draft-is-it-making-a-comeback/160441/10 "2003-03-11T02:17:22Z")
The draft will likely have to wait until our pre-emptive attack on Iran. We’ve now decided that they’re pursuing [Weapons of Mass Destruction](http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=578&e=3&cid=578&u=/nm/20030310/ts_nm/iran_usa_nuclear_dc), and we’ve already got some troops in the area. Say ~October of 2004 ? ---
**Author:** ![SpeyFly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@SpeyFly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpeyFly)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-draft-is-it-making-a-comeback/160441/11 "2003-03-11T02:25:24Z")
I’m starting to think, for this administration to achieve its goal, it has to create a crisis of global proportions. I keep going back to the PNRC’s mission statement. Without a global crisis there is no reason to give up our democracy for safety. Hmmm… Am I just paranoid? ---
**Author:** ![SpeyFly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@SpeyFly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpeyFly)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-draft-is-it-making-a-comeback/160441/12 "2003-03-11T02:29:13Z")
Meant ro say PNAC. oop’s ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-draft-is-it-making-a-comeback/160441/13 "2003-03-11T02:38:41Z")
The Draft is hot this year as are watchplaids and knee-length skirts. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-draft-is-it-making-a-comeback/160441/14 "2003-03-11T04:32:34Z")
This is a, as they like to say in DC, a “non-starter”. There are a few Congressmen trying to do an end run around Bush, but even they admit that they’re just trying to get attention for their anti war stance. And yes, SpyFly, you are paranoid. You may not like Bush but if he turns this country into a police state (as some people think) I’ll eat my hat and every hat within a hundred mile radius. ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-draft-is-it-making-a-comeback/160441/15 "2003-03-11T05:41:10Z")
As others have said, there is (and will not be) any need. The modern U.S. military is capital-intensive, not manpower-intensive. Extremely sophisticated, expensive technology more than makes up for what we lack in numbers. ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-draft-is-it-making-a-comeback/160441/16 "2003-03-11T05:42:15Z")
Rahter, “there is _not_ (and will not be) . . .” ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-draft-is-it-making-a-comeback/160441/17 "2003-03-11T05:55:39Z")
Rumsfeld got into bit of trouble recently because he said something which got misconstrued as meaning, “Draftees are worthless,” when he meant to say that an all volunteer military would have a higher morale level than a military composed of conscripts, since, in theory, the volunteers _want_ to be there. A draft now, or at any time other than a post-nuclear attacked US would be the immediate deathknell for any politicians career. (They’d be lucky if their own staff didn’t lynch 'em, honestly.) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Calculus\_of\_Logic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aeb1de/32.png) [@The\_Calculus\_of\_Logic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Calculus_of_Logic)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-draft-is-it-making-a-comeback/160441/18 "2003-03-11T05:56:36Z")
Nope. considering that the countries of the first world are generally united when a problem occurs, i don’t see why there would need to be a draft. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-draft-is-it-making-a-comeback/160441/19 "2003-03-11T15:51:08Z")
At the moment, the only American politicians calling for a draft are liberal, anti-war Democrats like Charles Rangel. People like Rangel hope that, if there were a draft, the American middle and upper classes would suddenly realize, "Oh! It could be MY kids sent off to fight in a war! Well, forget it! Bring ‘the boys’ home, and never take military action anywhere!’ " Now, unlike Rangel, I’m not a peacenik. Still, he’s not completely wrong. I don’t think it’s healthy for American society to have a stark class divide in the military. If a cause is genuinely worth fighting for, genuinely worth risking lives for, the sacrifices ought not be limited just to the poor and working class Americans who make up most of our fighting forces. I don’t see any likelihood of the draft making a comeback, but the idea has real merit. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2003, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-draft-is-it-making-a-comeback/160441/20 "2003-03-11T15:59:25Z")
**Astorian** , I was taught that there was a class divide in the Vietnam War draft. Not to mention some of the other debacles I’ve heard of about that one. It seems to me that a volunteer army, made up of people who want to be there, even if they are trying to get ahead using the service, is far better than some attempt at “democratization”, especially when we don’t need it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-draft-is-it-making-a-comeback/160441.md?page=2)