Institute draft, or get out of Iraq now
12 former U.S. Army captains - all of whom did tours of duty in Iraq - argue in today's Washington Post that unless the country is willing to support a draft, it's time to get out of Iraq. Now:
There is one way we might be able to succeed in Iraq. To continue an operation of this intensity and duration, we would have to abandon our volunteer military for compulsory service. Short of that, our best option is to leave Iraq immediately. A scaled withdrawal will not prevent a civil war, and it will spend more blood and treasure on a losing proposition.America, it has been five years. It's time to make a choice.
Strong words. Like it or not, George Bush - and the Democrats and Republicans in Congress - won't touch the draft. You see, in baby boomer Washington, not everyone needs to sacrifice for this war. Just those suckers who enlisted.
It's worth noting that opposition to the Vietnam war went into overdrive in 1965 when LBJ doubled the number of monthly draft conscripts to 35,000. That's when the middle class started to take notice. You can bet the Bushies learned at least that lesson from Vietnam - stay away from the draft.
