I really hope all this talk about reinstating the draft is just that, talk. My fear, however, is that something is being planned. Why would anyone be talking about increasing the size of the draft pool by including women, and upping the age from 25 to 34 unless they are afraid that the current population of 18-25 year old men is not big enough? I have mentioned that I do buy into some conspiracy theories, and it’s news like this that only adds fuel to that fire. I hate to contemplate what the theories are though, and I have none of my own. At best, the leadership of our military may be feeling bogged down between our usual troop presence in places like Germany, Japan, and Korea; along with our current presence in Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc. At worst, I fear that a full-scale war with a major power is either planned or feared. Are we secretly in another cold war?
On the other hand, I think it’s more likely that this is a political move to try and oust Bush next November. After two major military engagements in his first term, the fear of a draft may encourage enough 18-34 year olds to vote Kerry (if he isn’t dumped for another Democratic Candidate) to get Kerry elected. Let’s hope that’s all it is, but let’s also hope it fails.