Bill on draft to resurface as calls for troops rise

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The incoming Democratic chairman of the House Ways and Means panel says he will introduce a bill to reinstitute a military draft in order to provide the U.S. with more troops, while Sen. John McCain continued his call for increase of troop levels in Iraq.

Rep. Charles B. Rangel of New York first called for a draft in January 2003, when Democrats were the minority party in both houses of Congress. Now that his party controls Capitol Hill, he was asked yesterday on CBS' "Face the Nation" if he was still serious about the proposal.

"You bet your life. Underscore 'serious,' " he said.

"I don't see how anyone can support the [Iraq] war and not support the draft," said Mr. Rangel, alluding to Mr. McCain's call for increased troop levels in Iraq and to the need to combat threats elsewhere in the world. "If we're going to challenge Iran and challenge North Korea and then, as some people have asked, to send more troops to Iraq, we can't do that without a draft."

Mr. Rangel said his bill, which he will introduce again early next year, would allow Americans turning 18 to choose between several forms of national service, including airport security, or jobs in schools and hospitals.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican, said in his own "Face the Nation" appearance that military conscription was unnecessary.

"I think we can do this with an all-voluntary service, all-voluntary Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy. And if we can't, then we'll look for some other option," said Mr. Graham, who also serves as a reserve judge to the Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals.

Repeated polls have shown that about seven in 10 Americans oppose reinstatement of military conscription, and the Pentagon has long opposed any draft. Outgoing Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told Congress in June 2005 that "there isn't a chance in the world that the draft will be brought back."

Meanwhile, Mr. McCain, Arizona Republican, continued to call for increased U.S. military presence in Iraq to stabilize the country and prevent what he described as a dire threat to U.S. national security.

"You've got to ask yourself some questions. One, are we winning? And I think the answer is no," he said during an appearance on ABC's "This Week." "The other is, what are the consequences of defeat?"