Political promises

The (Baton Rouge, La.) Advocate

President Bush and John Kerry are making political promises neither can guarantee when each vows there will be no military draft on his watch.

To do so is foolhardy at best. ...

Nobody can say with certainty that a new draft will not become necessary, nor should anyone rule out that option. The U.S. military is stretched, recruitment is lagging and nobody can predict the future.

None of us, including Bush and Kerry, knows what is going to happen in Iraq, Afghanistan, North Korea or Iran, among other places, during the next four years. ...

Reinstatement of a formal draft might already have become necessary were it not for the Guard and reservist call-ups and involuntary enlistment extensions. ...

We are not advocating reinstatement of the draft, nor are we suggesting, as rumored in some quarters, there is a secret plan to revive the draft after the election.

We are saying it is disingenuous, dishonest, naive or foolish to rule out the possibility of a draft.