WHY AREN'T THESE PRO-IRAQl WAR MONGERS ENLISTING?
104898
See, what u don't understand is that THEY don't want to DIE for this war. They know it's bogus. They're not willing to put their money where their mouth is. And if they send their kids, who'll carry on their legacy? They send middle class, or poor people, cuz hey, it's not their relatives. Besides, if us poor saps don't fight their war, who will? Rich kids don't like authority, but poor kids just might listen. It's kinda like a friend who tells u to do something that they're  too chicken to do, ya know?
986912
Yes they frigging well have! They blow things out of all proportion and now everyone is against it because troops are being killed. When we sign up we know that we are at risk of being mobilised to warzones and the consequences this can bring. I am only in the Territorial Army (reservists) and if my time comes to serve Queen and Country over in Iraq i will.
1087932
I'm sure the US Military & its counterpart military allies are all aware Iraq is a conflict they can never win. The same as Vietnam. However, the military is subservient to its Gov'ts. It obeys orders and carries them out. Years from now when the Iraq veterans gather to rember the period and those lost maybe our politicians will have learnt to tread more carefully. Equally, if such a conflict is to be entered into again, do it with mercenaries and volunteers and allow them to set the rules and support them to the hilt & clamp down the media press. They M&V's will settle it in no time. As for the media press, its impossible to know whose damned side there on. They file every piece of dirt they can against our own men, totally forgetting what were up against, what were fighting. Were fighting Islam extremists. they dont have rules or values as we do. Our press and politicians will not  sit down and take a deep hard look at whats involved. Its time to pull out and let dog eat dog.
934439
Actually troops levels are only too low because neither congress or the president has really pushed for necessary troop increases. If the government admitted that it couldn't accomplish it's intended goals in the middle east and increased the authorized troop level and then we were in a situation where not enough recruits were available to fill in those positions, then you might be in a position to start talking about a draft.\n\nExcept that even then, most politicians would be reluctant to implement such a draft since it would make people more concerned about the war in Iraq. If people were actually forced to make sacrifices in Iraq, then they would start to question even more strongly why we were there and what we hope to accomplish by being there. Which would probably end in a big backlash against the occupation and a forced withdrawal from the middle east if any politician really wanted to get elected again.\n\nThis is not even considering the opinion of most people in the military themselves, which seem to be against the idea of the draft. The commonly held opinion of the military is that a draft would quickly degrade the quality of our fighting force.\n\nEven without the draft, opinion is quickly turning against the Iraqi occupation, and it's unlikely the current troop levels in Iraq could be maintained for much longer without bringing on the wrath of the electorate.\n\nSo the short answer is, no, there won't be a draft in the forseeable future. \n\nPersonally I'm not concerned greatly about the draft, since I already served 3.5 years in the Army and was forced to leave due to poor hearing a couple of years ago. If I was somehow drafted at this point, my hearing would keep me from being forced back into the military and cause them to draft someone else instead.
784585
No. Plenty of volunteers are available. Not to mention a draft outside of invasion or imminent danger would tear the country to shreds.
1066712
When you dont let the UN do its search and you want to go to War based on 10 year old inteligence... That could be the problem.  Bush rushed to war knowing that if he didnt do it quickly there might be a lot more opposition to his claims.  If he could start the war he knew they wouldnt be able to just walk away when the shit hit the fan.  This is Bush's personal agenda.\n\nBy the way when did Republicans become Nation builders??  Before Bush was elected they gave the Democrats hell over trying to change leadership and build new government in foriegn countries. Even Bush as Texas Governer said nations should be left alone and not told how to run their country.
878157
Unless we encounter a situation where many more troops are drastically needed, I think a volunteer army is the way to go. I think the call for a return to the draft is more of a criticism of hypocrisy than anything else. After all, it's much easier to support a war when you know that you or no one you care about will be put in danger. It's easy to blame Bush and the neoconservatives for the failures in Iraq now, but this war would have never happened without the support of a solid majority of the American people. But if a draft had been enabled from the beginning of this war I think that there would have been alot of people who would have had very different opinions about how necessary invading Iraq was (including myself).\n\nBut just because drafting kids into the army isn't a good idea doesn't mean that having some required civil service isn't either. Why shouldn't young people serve the country in some way? Give them peaceful options (like re-building the Gulf Coast) but If they choose the military, that's great. It might actually remind people that everyone has a duty to their country, not just the soldiers.
715853
I served for 20 years and retired in '92.  One of the things we noticed during the run-up to Desert Storm was the number of people all over Europe, I was assigned to CINCUSNAVEUR support in London, who were screaming "Wait! We didn't know we might have to go to WAR!"  That was from people with 8 or 10 years in.  All we career types could say was "You're in the military, what did you think we were here for?"  If there is a good thing about the Iraqi conflict, which I opposed from the start, it is that our young service men and women have a clear understanding of for what they are signing up.  The young people who put their lives on the line for the rest of us are truly the best of our best.  I just wish our National Leadership valued them as they deserve.
503080
What's wrong with boarder patrol in Iraq, or Afghanistan? That is what a conservative would say. I think there will be thousands of discharged military men looking to fill those positions already.
246893
Ask the Iraqui's.\n\nThey want us there.\n\nThe UN wanted us there.\n\nTherefore, everything you've said against the war or Bush is a Fairy Tale.
626669
Hell No on both counts\nThey signed up to defend our country.  They did not choose where or how.\nAnd it is not the Iraqies defending thier country, it is insurgents causing problems for the Iraqies that are trying to creat a government and move the country forward
944229
No one will be drafted. And the war will end soon enough. At the rate of enlistment and VOLUNTEERING...there will never be a need for a draft.
972339
no ........ it would only be fair if only neocon are drafted ......... SINCE THEY ARE THE ONLY ONE SUPPORTING THE WAR
285414
In the U.S. we have an all volunteer military so this would not apply to those who volunteer to serve.  When we had a Draft it was a felony to refuse induction.
496911
There's a high population of people from liberal cities or states in the service right now. The servicemen and women themselves may be conservative or may be liberal but their home voting precincts are largely liberal. This is because a disproportionate percentage of servicemen and women come from inner cities and very very rural areas, which historically tend to vote more with the liberals. These areas are, by coincidence, poorer than the suburbs and rural areas (not the very very rural areas), and it is much easier for recruiters to find recruits in these areas. Think about it... if you had any other way to put a down payment on a house, pay for college, etc, you would be very unlikely to join the military, given what is going on in Iraq these days. Everyone who enlists (even in the reserves) is going to get deployed... and it's no longer an "easy" way to earn tuition money for a middle class kid. And a $20,000 enlistment bonus does not sound like enough to risk getting shot over, if you come from a middle-class home, but for an inner city family, that is a whole lot of money.\n\nSadly, it has become a war created by the rich and fought by the poor. Very classist, very ugly.  Rich people's kids are not going to Iraq but poor people's kids sure are.
974271
Whatever the political reasons were that we went to Iraq, how many people can argue that the people over there that are willing to try and build a civilized and organized government are much better off? Its a war, people die, goals are chieved and failed, thats what its all about. Did we invade their country? I don't think so, since the new government there is asking us to stay. I don't know if I'm the only one thats noticed, but 80% of the people opposed to the war are either parents concerned with the well being of their kids in the military, or people who aren't and never were part of the military in their entire life. People join the military to fight in wars and defend their homeland, thats what the military does, if you join the military with expectation of not being put into harm or for a free ride through college, thats your own fault, do not join the militarty unless you want and are fully ready to go to war.
837009
I feel that there are very few noble causes for war. If Iraq had done some sort of action against Americans, or if they did some sort of action against one of our allies then maybe. We went over there to make rich men richer. We are an occupying force in that country. If another country invaded us to make their rich men richer I would fight until i gave out my last dying breath. I'm sure this is what the Iraqis are thinking. I am not ready to enlist for this war. "Terror" is a braod term. by deffinition there are many American terrorists in America. Its a farce and false pre-tense for war. Iraq did not bomb the world trade center. There are many countries that have prro leaders. Are we going to bomb and occupy them all? Maybe if they had lots of money to loot. A noble war is the war on hunger. enough said.