Doug Henwood wrote:
>
> All these draft-is-coming-back arguments ignore at least two
> important points: 1) the conscript army of the Vietnam era was a
> disaster as a fighting force (see the piece quoted below), and 2) the
> risk of political backlash would be enormous, the best recruiting
> assistance the antiwar movement could ever ask for.
>
I agree completely with all of this. On the other hand, the u.s. may be caught in quite a vise here: it _can't_ get out in any decent way and it _can't_ stay without more troops than it can recruit. Mercentaries, Iraqi collaborators, scrimping on troop requirements elsewhere can only go so far.
Even one of the least persuasive arguments mentioned in this thread (invasion of Syra, Iran, etc.) and subsequent need for larger and larger forces is not 100% silly: One of the ways the U.S. seriously considered escaping from the Vietnam quagmire was by expanding the war to China. I find it hard to imagine that the u.s. rulers would seriously consider a draft for the reasons you give. But back after Sadaam's invasion of Kuwait I found it hard to imagine that the U.S. would be so insane as to start an endless War in the Mideast (as many of us recognized a war with Iraq would be). An imperial power at the cusp of its power becomes utterly unpredictable.
Hip deep in the Big Muddy, and the Damn Fool said, Wade On.
Carrol