Post Tuesday, December 31st, 2002
I heard Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) call for a new draft on CNN, but I couldn’t believe my ears. Now the congressman has made it official with a New York Times op-ed and says he’ll introduce legislation to draft young people into the military.
There’s absolutely no chance Rangel’s bill will pass, but it’s still an extraordinary move. Everyone in charge of the military, including Donald Rumsfeld, has said that there’s no need for a draft and the US has all the troops it needs. Rangel’s motives, as he proclaims openly, are pure class warfare. He wants to reintroduce the draft because he thinks that, if white middle class kids are forced into service, public opposition to war will increase.
The argument is this close to treason. It’ll be interesting to see how Democratic presidential candidates respond when they’re asked questions about it.