Despite Lefty Paranoia - Draft Unlikely 

Despite Lefty Paranoia - Draft Unlikely

Rumor aside, draft's return most unlikely
Monday, May 24, 2004

By Jack Kelly, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Selective Service System quietly has been filling vacancies on local draft boards, as U.S. troops are pulled from Korea to help out in Iraq and members of Congress question whether the armed services are overextended.

This collection of circumstances has prompted a flurry of speculation, fueled by e-mail-forwarding and nurtured by left-wing Web sites, that the U.S. government is poised to reinstate the military draft, or that President Bush has secret plans to do so if re-elected in November.

But the Pentagon opposes a general manpower draft, and even those few members of Congress who support one think the chances of a draft being reinstituted are next-to-none. Yet the rumors fly.

"Pending legislation in the House and Senate would time the program so the draft could begin as early as spring 2005 -- conveniently just after the 2004 presidential election!" Adam Stutz recently wrote on the Vancouver Indymedia Web site.

The Armed Forces are not now having difficulty recruiting and retaining enough volunteers to maintain current strength, either in active or reserve components. But many fear that if the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan drag on, this will be harder to do.

Recruiting historically has been more difficult when the economy is growing rapidly, as it is now. And many in Congress believe it is necessary to increase the size of the Army by the equivalent of two divisions, along with their supporting elements.

For full story: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04145/321235.stm