Representative Charles Rangel (D-NY) to introduce bill to reinstitute the draft

[Terminator]

WASHINGTON (Nov. 19) - Americans would have to sign up for a new military draft after turning 18 under a bill the incoming chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee says he will introduce next year.

Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., said Sunday he sees his idea as a way to deter politicians from launching wars.

"There's no question in my mind that this president and this administration would never have invaded Iraq, especially on the flimsy evidence that was presented to the Congress, if indeed we had a draft and members of Congress and the administration thought that their kids from their communities would be placed in harm's way," Rangel said.

Rangel, a veteran of the Korean War who has unsuccessfully sponsored legislation on conscription in the past, has said the all-volunteer military disproportionately puts the burden of war on minorities and lower-income families.

Rangel said he will propose a measure early next year. While he said he is serious about the proposal, there is little evident support among the public or lawmakers for it.

In 2003, Rangel proposed a measure covering people age 18 to 26. It was defeated 402-2 the following year. This year, he offered a plan to mandate military service for men and women between age 18 and 42; it went nowhere in the Republican-led Congress.

Democrats will control the House and Senate come January because of their victories in the Nov. 7 election.

At a time when some lawmakers are urging the military to send more troops to Iraq, "I don't see how anyone can support the war and not support the draft," said Rangel, who also proposed a draft in January 2003, before the U.S. invasion of Iraq. "I think to do so is hypocritical."

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who is a colonel in the U.S. Air Force Standby Reserve, said he agreed that the U.S. does not have enough people in the military.

"I think we can do this with an all-voluntary service, all-voluntary Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy. And if we can't, then we'll look for some other option," said Graham, who is assigned as a reserve judge to the Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals.

Rangel, the next chairman of the House tax-writing committee, said he worried the military was being strained by its overseas commitments.

"If we're going to challenge Iran and challenge North Korea and then, as some people have asked, to send more troops to Iraq, we can't do that without a draft," Rangel said.

He said having a draft would not necessarily mean everyone called to duty would have to serve. Instead, "young people (would) commit themselves to a couple of years in service to this great republic, whether it's our seaports, our airports, in schools, in hospitals," with a promise of educational benefits at the end of service.

Graham said he believes the all-voluntary military "represents the country pretty well in terms of ethnic makeup, economic background."

Repeated polls have shown that about seven in 10 Americans oppose reinstatement of the draft and officials say they do not expect to restart conscription.

Outgoing Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told Congress in June 2005 that "there isn't a chance in the world that the draft will be brought back."

Yet the prospect of the long global fight against terrorism and the continuing U.S. commitment to stabilizing Iraq have kept the idea in the public's mind.

The military drafted conscripts during the Civil War, both world wars and between 1948 and 1973. An agency independent of the Defense Department, the Selective Service System, keeps an updated registry of men age 18-25 - now about 16 million - from which to supply untrained draftees that would supplement the professional all-volunteer armed forces.

Rangel and Graham appeared on "Face the Nation" on CBS.


Thanks to everyone who voted for the DemoRATS, and more importantly, the people in New York who voted for this douchebag. People like Charles Rangel tried to lie to America in 2003 and say Bush was going to re-institute the military draft, so don't vote for him (their own version of political scare tactics)...now this asshole is going to try and do it himself!!! This bill must not pass. Something must be done!!!

[Just KC]

I can't imagine he would receive enough support to pass it.

[kay88]

Thanks to everyone who voted for the DemoRATS, and more importantly, the people in New York who voted for this douchebag. People like Charles Rangel tried to lie to America in 2003 and say Bush was going to re-institute the military draft, so don't vote for him (their own version of political scare tactics)...now this asshole is going to try and do it himself!!! This bill must not pass. Something must be done!!!

+1, hypocritical asshole...

[Hannibal]

So let me get this straight... if one is against war, implementing a draft is supposed to help?

WTF? I dunno bout that.

The only draft I want is the one outta the keg.

[General Patten]

So let me get this straight... if one is against war, implementing a draft is supposed to help?

WTF? I dunno bout that.

The only draft I want is the one outta the keg.

+1

give me a Bud, not a BDU... (unless the BDU says "POLICE")

[CountyFourteen]

+2

[Willowdared]

They wouldn't be so short of people in the military, if all those politicians **coughs** Randy Puke Cunningham *coughs** had not had their palms greased by military contractors, who sold us all those gadgets that would replace the soldier.

You're supposed to register for Selective Service at 18, so you would be available for call-up in the event the country was in dire straights.

[nitestokker]

This truly scares me. Not to toot my own horn, but with prior military combat experience plus a lot of valuable LEO training, I am scared to death that I would be at the top of the list of people to get called up. I love my country and would die for my flag, but I did my time and now I have a young wife and three babies. What would happen to them if I got offed by some raghead in a small village that sounds like someone coughing up phlegm? I am no chickenshit by any means, but I fought my battles, how about sending those fat fucking congressmen to get shot at, suck some sand and have bad dreams for the rest of their life?

[Pedro56]

Keep voting for the Democratic Hypocritical Asshole party morons.

[Willowdared]

This truly scares me. Not to toot my own horn, but with prior military combat experience plus a lot of valuable LEO training, I am scared to death that I would be at the top of the list of people to get called up. I love my country and would die for my flag, but I did my time and now I have a young wife and three babies. What would happen to them if I got offed by some raghead in a small village that sounds like someone coughing up phlegm? I am no chickenshit by any means, but I fought my battles, how about sending those fat fucking congressmen to get shot at, suck some sand and have bad dreams for the rest of their life?

Not if they followed the traditional rules of the past. As the father of a passle of kids you'd be exempt. You would also be considered "essential" as a law enforcement officer.

I'm old enought to remember the draft. My uncle joined the Marines during Viet Nam. His draft number was low, and he figured it was just a matter of time. He wanted to have some choice in which branch he would serve - and he wanted to be in the best one.

[Five-0]

Guys he is doing this to make the current war like Vietnam. The dems want to get us out of there yesterday. Rangel knows that this announcement will get tons of media coverage and drive down support of the war. Doing this is a win/win for Rangel and the dems.

[10-42Adam]

I'd be surprised if this got passed. It's pretty clear to me that the majority of our country already disagrees with us being over there, so why send more? Im not too worried about it just yet...

[TXCharlie]

Rangel, D-N.Y., said Sunday he sees his idea as a way to deter politicians from launching wars.

That never stopped them before.

PDawg, you're right - I had to register for the draft when I was in High School, but the Vietnam war ended about the time I graduated. There are all sorts of exemptions. There had even been a college exemption - but I think that one was repealed because all the politicians' and millionaires' sons escaped the Vietnam war by enrolling in college.

And we all know our asshole former President Bill Clinton took full advantage of the "Conscientious Objector" exemption, and ran to Canada for good measure.

[BigDawg]

I would actually be surprised if there were exemptions for married and children. Right now the current military has these approx. percentages;

More than 50% are married

More than 40% have children

If that is what is in the military now, why would they make it an exception during a draft??

I also don't see this going very far. If it was passed it would take 2-3 years before drafted people ended up in the war. That is to long for the message he is trying to send.

[TXCharlie]

Thanks to everyone who voted for the DemoRATS...

Oh by the way... Check out http://www.demoRATS.org

Yeah, I did that back in the 2004 election (just the forwarding). I used to have a stupid parody website at that address, but didn't have time to mess with it

[TheOldRhino]

Far be it from me to side with a democrat, but I personally have no qualms about a draft. I think military service should be required of every citizen.

But it's strange how if you "dodge" the draft, you're a leftist hippie. But now that a dem wants to bring it back it's kind of backwards now. When I was a kid, it was the left that wanted to get rid of the draft and the right who wanted to keep it... go fig.

[Big-Mo]

Thank you Rhino!! I also served during Nam and was elgible for the draft but signed up before registering.
I see NOTHING wrong with a draft for both sexes for a minimum of 2 years. They also have chances of education paid through the service and could also get help paying for remainder of college, like the GI Bill...
I am not demo or repub but as I, it helped me grow up and become a man and responsible and learn for my future.
I do feel that married, esp with children should be exempt as they were during WWII. You will ALWAYS have rich and political exemptions as the past reflects the service.
This doesn't mean you will serve during a conflict but the kids these days are not changing for the better for more for the worse.
I KNOW I will get barraged with tirades and name calling but have experienced both sides and am a retired city officer and military veteran.
I sense that many here are incensed by a mandated service of a year or more. You ought to travel more and see the world around us and what you have and what service men provides for you that the other countries do NOT!!
I feel that you are also NOT involved within your own department to better conditions or benefits for all your officers and are more that likely more a part of the problems then part of the solution!!
Take care and be safe out there all !!

[Doc_Holliday]

Rhino, dont be fooled...Charlie Rangel doesnt really want the draft...he basically is insulting the troops, he feels that they are the poor and uneducated...ala John Kerry. He knows the draft has no chance, although on a sidenote, I agree whole heartedly with you about mandatory military service for everyone.

[TheOldRhino]

Don't worry, Trooper. I am not fooled by an idiot like Rangel. I would just love to see the Conservatives come out supporting him en masse on the draft. I think it would be the ultimate backfire.

[Doc_Holliday]

TOTTALLY agree Rhino, absolutely...but as of late, I have begun to question the existence of a collective spine, or set of balls, of the Repub's