Why Bush, seriously?

Off-topic
1

OK - here’s a new thread for Bush lovers and haters.

Firstly, remember this: Bush 04 = Draft 05.

Bush can start wars, and his family’s and Cheney’s companies make billions (Halliburton, Carlysle Group, others), so the only thing he doesn’t have complete control over is cannon fodder, er soldiers.

I’m not making this up. Search news sources for the topic of military draft and you’ll find that the wheels are quietly turning toward both re-instituting the draft and widening the age brackets for those who’d be eligible.
As a bonus, I’ve included my blathering from the latest “non-political” thread in r.s.u.

I’m shocked that there’s even ONE one-wheeler who supports the current regime.

Slashing over 200 environmental protection regulations?

Ignoring protection against terrorist threats on ports, chemical and nuclear facilities?

Creating a questionable “No child left behind” policy, then underfunding it by billions of $?

Tax cuts for the rich at the expense of huge loans on our children’s backs?

Horrible job creation record?

Abandoning the war on terrorism to go after Saddam, greatly multipying the number of radical Islamic extremists who hate America? BTW, we got Saddam, now what’s the latest “mission” there?

Ignoring Geneva conventions for POWs?

Huge no-bid contracts for Cheney’s and Bush family companies?

What do you like about them? Please, really, what could you possibly like?

2

Here is what, taken with the grain of salt all politicians deserve, Bush has to say about the draft:

BUSH RULES OUT RETURN OF MILITARY DRAFT

STEWART M. POWELL P-I Washington Bureau
750 words
8 September 2004
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
FINAL
A3
English
Copyright © 2004 Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved.

President Bush yesterday ruled out resuming the military draft as the death toll of Americans in Iraq topped 1,000 after 17 months of combat and occupation there.

Bush, addressing a question from a supporter in Sedalia, Mo., said the key to avoiding resumption of the draft, which ended in 1973, was to provide enough benefits to the nation’s volunteer armed forces to encourage continued recruitment.

I can not see how a Bush administration or its hopeful successor could possibly benefit politically from a reinstatement of the draft. A draft would seriously mobilize a much stronger and vociferous anti-war movement. A draft would create an entirely new generation of “draft-dodgers” among those, left and right, Democrat and Republican, who have the means to evade and/or avoid military service.

The only politicians I have heard discuss the possiblity of a draft are those who want to use it to make the point that the current volunteer military unfairly places the burden of executing this war on the poor who joined the military for economic reasons. And even they aren’t serious, I don’t believe, about instituting the draft.

So, while I am an avowed ABB and so will be voting for Kerry, I’d ask of you, steveyo, more in the way of concrete documentation demonstrating why you believe a draft would be imminent given a second Bush administration.

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

3

Bush said in 2000 our troops WOULD NOT BE USED for nation building, right?

Here’s a few links discussing this from non-liberal websites.

http://www.wcjb.com/news.asp?id=8558
http://www.ljworld.com/section/stateregional/story/151198

http://www.sss.gov/perfplan_fy2004.html

4

Yay we agree on something! The use of logic!

That’s right. Logic. Why would Bush reinstate the draft? Does he want to end his career and risk death. If he also uses logic, then no. Big if maybe…but no draft!