Re: [Marxism] I feel a draft coming (was Re: CNN poll...)

["LouPaulsen" <LouPaulsen@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message -----
From: <g.maclennan@xxxxxxxxxx>

> I think Jose is absolutely correct here about the draft. It
> is a military necessity and the logic of the perptetual war
> scenario. [...]
>
> >From here I would say that a Democratic victory does not make
> a draft less likely at all.  Indeed I am tempted, looking at
> the history of Democratic Presidents, to say that a Kerry
> victory makes a draft more likely.

I don't disagree at all.  If you listen to Air America Radio, you find that
a whole series of liberal Kerryish arguments in favor of the draft is being
readied, along these lines:

"The stupid Republicans created a bad situation in Iraq.  Now we have to do
whatever it takes to remedy the consequences of the Republicans' stupid
mistakes."

"The stupid Republicans sent us into a bad war with their lies and
incompetence.  But now we can't leave, because that would send the world the
wrong message / it would be cowardly / it would be immoral to "break Iraq"
and not "fix it" / 'I don't believe in a cut and run philosophy.'"

"The stupid Republicans didn't send in enough troops to do the job.  As a
result, our soldiers are not being given the military support they need."

"The greedy Republicans have brought in private contractors to do the work
that service personnel have done in the past, in order to put money in their
own pockets.  We need enough service personnel in the field to replace all
these contractors and stop lining the pockets of Halliburton!"

"We should have a draft because it is more democratic than the economic
draft."

"We should have a draft because it will make us a more peaceful nation, less
willing to go and fight stupid wars."

"We should have a draft because draftees will fight more humanely than
volunteers."

"We should have a draft because under Kerry we will have a president we can
trust not to waste our lives needlessly."

I don't think anything about this is at all improbable.  And - bottom line -
what else are they going to do?  The other methods they have tried - use of
mercenaries, recruitment of Iraqi soldiers and police under their control,
the "coalition of the willing", etc. - are all collapsing.  And they will
NOT get out of Iraq unless/until much more happens to them than has happened
yet.  "When you have eliminated every other strategy, the one that remains,
however unpalatable, must be our strategic choice."

Lou Paulsen


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