WASHINGTON (AFP) - A top Democratic lawmaker reintroduced legislation to restore the US military draft, saying that the all-volunteer army is shorthanded and overwhelmed by current and future troop deployments in Iraq.
Representative Charles Rangel (news, bio, voting record) said a draft would spread out the human cost of the four-year-long Iraq operation, which he has said has been borne disproportionately by lower- and middle-class Americans.
The New York lawmaker said the burden was likely to be even greater if US President George W. Bush makes good on his plan to increase US troops in Iraq by more than 20,000, as part of his plan to subdue the raging insurgency there.
"If Americans are to be placed in harm's way, all of us, from every income group and position in society, must share the burden of war," Rangel said.
"The overwhelming majority of our troops fighting in Iraq are young men and women who have chosen to enlist because military service is an economic opportunity," Rangel said.
"They are motivated by enlistment bonuses up to 40,000 dollars and additional thousands in scholarships to attend college. They are from urban and rural communities where there is high unemployment and few opportunities to pursue the American Dream," said Rangel.
"It is time that all Americans -- including the wealthy -- be given the opportunity to prove their patriotism as well, by saluting when the flag goes up and defending their country in wartime. A military draft would ensure that."
Rangel first proposed legislation for the draft in January 2003 before the invasion of Iraq two months later, but it was voted down. He again failed to win support when he reintroduced the bill last year.
The United States has heavily depended on military reserves to keep up staffing levels in Iraq, where more than 3,000 US soldiers have died, and many soldiers have been pushed into multiple tours because of the shortage of fresh troops.
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My two cents....
Perhaps if there was a draft that forced everyone to make personal sacrifices for this war which has already become our generations vietnam it would make so many of the people that support this mess see the light. As an army wife living on a military post where Bush just made his very first stop of his presidency to gain support for his military upsurge (to no avail) there are very few people that are still advocating this war.
