Draft Talk and Other Silliness

By Rick Moran

Just who is this fellow General Douglas Lute and where does he get off talking about a draft?

Lute is the so-called "War Czar" for the White House on Iraq and Afghanistan and has not been heard from much at all since his Senate confirmation in June.

Judging by what he says here, that may have been by design:

"I think it makes sense to certainly consider it," Army Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute said in an interview with National Public Radio's "All Things Considered." "And I can tell you, this has always been an option on the table. But ultimately, this is a policy matter between meeting the demands for the nation's security by one means or another," said Lute, who is sometimes referred to as the "Iraq war czar." It was his first interview since he was confirmed by the Senate in June.

President Nixon abolished the draft in 1973. Restoring it, Lute said, would be a "major policy shift" and Bush has made it clear that he doesn't think it's necessary.

"The president's position is that the all-volunteer military meets the needs of the country and there is no discussion of a draft. Gen. Lute made that point as well," National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.

I have no doubt that somewhere in the bowels of the Pentagon, there is a plan to re-institute the draft. And under certain specific circumstances, it would obviously be necessary.

But the Iraq War isn't one of them. Nobody wants it, least of all the military. Active duty soldiers are almost universally against it. They don't want a bunch of amateurs coming in to gum up the works not to mention make their lives more dangerous. It just won't fly.

Maybe General Lute was lonely and needed some attention. If so, he picked the wrong subject with which to make a splash.