Modern Draft Dodging

By Brittany Andrews
Staff Writer

As of December 2004 there are 135,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, not to mention the number of troops in Afghanistan, North Korea, and dozens of other places around the world. The U.S. Army boasts a strength of close to 1.3 million active duty, National Guard and Reservist soldiers.

So why is the draft being discussed everywhere from homes across America to Congress and everywhere else in between? Simple -- the War on Terrorism needs more fresh soldiers to relieve the tired and homesick soldiers overseas. More importantly, the war effort needs greater numbers to fill in the gaps of an exhausted and over-extended force.

As great as the idea for combating terrorism across the globe may or may not have been, George W. Bush may have bitten off more than he can chew. The U.S. has spent billions of dollars on armed conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq alone and the nation’s Armed Forces and its resources are spread too thin. Even worse, he barely has enough public support to go on with the war let alone force people to fight in it.

U.S. soldiers are dying or getting injured by the hundreds, many of whom either have varying explanations of why America has gone to war and, more often than not, uncertain of the real reasons why they went to war in the first place. A decision by Bush to reinstate the draft would not just be protested by American citizens -- there would likely be immense resistance and possible backlash that may rival or eclipse that of the Vietnam War protests.

If Bush were to reinstate the draft, he would add fuel to the fire of people against the war and lose the support of those who are in favor of the effort despite the growing need for more soldiers.

As such, the Bush administration needs to think long and hard not only of the benefits and consequences of reinstating the draft.