ABC NEWS: Edwards: NO MILITARY DRAFT if Dems Win

[Dems Will Win]

No Military Draft if Democrats Win, Vice Presidential Candidate John Edwards Tells W. Va. Mother

The Associated Press


PARKERSBURG, W.Va. Sept. 15, 2004 — Vice presidential candidate John Edwards promised a West Virginia mother on Wednesday that if the Democratic ticket is elected in November the military draft would not be revived. During a question-and-answer session, the mother of a 23-year-old who recently graduated from West Virginia University asked Edwards whether the draft would be reinstated.

"There will be no draft when John Kerry is president," Edwards said, a statement that drew a standing ovation.

The current force is all-volunteer, and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has said he opposes reinstating the draft. But the Pentagon has taken several steps that have drawn criticism.

In June, the Pentagon recalled to active duty 5,674 members of the Individual Ready Reserve, soldiers who have served specified tours of duty but have years remaining in their enlistment contracts.

-snip-

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Politics/ap20040915_1707.html

[mourningdove92]

1. Sing it, Brother Edwards! Sing it LOUD.

I would like to hear both of them make that statement every time they speak. By the very nature of making that comment, it casts the suggestion that if Smirk is elected, the draft looms, which we all believe anyway.

If they keep saying it, it will resonate.

[Dems Will Win]

2. A standing ovation!

[wildflower]

3. Keep America Draft-Free!

I would love to see them use that slogan.

Glad to see ABC reporting this.

-wildflower

[Mojambo]

4. And if North Korea decides its "go time"

sometime in 2006/2007 it will be a difficult promise to keep.

Not that I think they will, but I'm just saying...

[Sterling]

7. I agree.

That is why I protested the Iraqnam invasion as hard as I did. I knew once we opened this can of worms there would be no putting them back in until the balance of power was re established. With us bogged down in Iraqnam the world is much less of a safe to live.


N Korea is one of a long list of problems that I no longer feel certain can be contained. In fact I see Iraqnam as catalyst for a worldwide conflagration that Kerry and Edwards will not be able to prevent. We really could be looking at a new world war within the next 8 years. In fact history will probably view this time as being the opening stages of such a war.

[Sterling]

5. I don't see how he can make that promise?

Pandoras box is open. Our military is stretched very thin and Kerry's policy I doubt will be one of military weakness.

[Dems Will Win]

6. Kerry has a NO-DRAFT PLAN that costs $7 billion:

John Kerry has a No-Draft Plan, a plan to strengthen the military in key areas yet draw down U.S. troop levels in Iraq by internationalizing the situation and then getting out as soon as possible.

Here are the five main points of Kerry’s No-Draft Plan:

1. Move some paper-pushers to combat (lots of potential there)

2. Increase enlistment with real scholarships, benefits and pay raises

3. Let troops know Special Ops will hunt al-Queda, no more invasions needed, so re-up rate goes up. "Primarily a law enforcement effort, not a full military effort", said John Kerry on Meet The Press.

4. Start a "Civilian Stability Corps" that would help in reconstructing Afghanistan and Iraq and relieve military pressure. It would be kind of like the Peace Corps—but on steroids.

5. GET FOREIGN TROOPS TO COME INTO INSTEAD OF LEAVE IRAQ.
Kerry gave some details about the proposed Civilian Stability Corps, made up of volunteers:

"...I propose that we enlist thousands of them in a Civilian Stability Corps, a reserve organization of volunteers ready to help win the peace in troubled places. Like military reservists, they will have peacetime jobs; but in times of national need, they will be called into service to restore roads, renovate schools, open hospitals, repair power systems, draft a constitution, or build a police force. A Civilian Stability Corps can bring the best of America to the worst of the world—and reduce pressure on the military."
- Source: Kerry, John. "Protecting Our Military Families in Times of War: A Military Family Bill of Rights." March 17, 2004. http://johnkerry.com/pressroom/speeches/spc_2004_0317.html >

In April, on a conference call with 130 College Newspaper Editors, Kerry said “No Draft”, that he would have a sensible foreign policy that would not require reinstatement. And in June, Kerry told a Wisconsin high school that if elected, a draft would be "absolutely unnecessary".

Kerry’s plan calls for increasing active-duty troop levels by 40,000 people. He also doubles the number of Special Ops troops. Half the 40,000 being added are civil engineering/reconstruction specialists and half are combat, costing an extra $7 billion, but it relieves the pressure on the Guard and Reserves for overseas deployments and essentially saves the Volunteer Army. $7 billion is well worth not having to bring back the draft!

Kerry charges that Bush is ruining the Volunteer approach with long Guard and Reserve deployments and numerous stop-loss orders, which Kerry says is a “Back-door Draft”. Since Kerry will increase pay, benefits, scholarships and reduce long deployments of regular troops and the reserves, if he is elected the re-enlistment rates and recruitment rates will return to normal. Recently, troops returning from Iraq are reportedly leaving the Service in huge numbers, although denied by DoD (see David Hackworth, Voting With their Feet http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=38644).

With this No-Draft Plan, Kerry will not have to resort to conscription, even after Bush has made such a mess of it in Iraq. Kerry has also pledged that he will push renewable energy development and true energy independence, “so that we never again have soldiers dying for oil”.

Kerry has criticized the inequality of the draft, that the poor and minorities are inducted in higher numbers than their fair share and that the draft is a source of conflict. John Kerry will not reinstate the draft—outside of the invasion of the United States by China or something like that.

The choice is thus clear to all voters. Vote for Bush and you are also voting for the resumption of the draft—to man his hidden agenda of invading more countries and staying in Iraq forever.

Or vote for Kerry and you are voting PNAC out of the White House, and with it Bush’s hidden agenda to bring back the draft so U.S. companies can dominate the world’s remaining oil supply.

Finally, a draft is morally reprehensible, an infringement of freedom against the principles of the Constitution. We know that Bush cares nothing about morality when it comes to Iraq and that Kerry has over the years always expressed real opposition to the draft for a number of moral and ethical reasons. Having lived through the Vietnam era, Kerry knows well the long history of conflict and opposition that the draft has wrought.

John Kerry will not reinstate the draft, but Bush is secretly gearing up the whole system right now for the summer of next year.

[chromotone]

8. I would tend to believe Kerry/Edwards on this subject...

moreso than Bush/Cheney. Afterall, Kerry's been to war and he should know more about what it takes than Bush/Cheney who's been running this invasion like a big game of Risk...

My turn, Dick?

[chromotone]

9. I would tend to believe Kerry/Edwards on this subject...

moreso than Bush/Cheney. Afterall, Kerry's been to war and he should know more about what it takes then Bush/Cheney who's been running this invasion like a big game of Risk...

My turn, Dick?

[Moderator]

10. Duplicate

same subject covered in this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x829516