Kerry talks about the possibility of a draft

[bob_barron 0]

Kerry: Draft Likely to Return Under Bush

 

Wed Sep 22, 3:25 PM ET

 

By MARY DALRYMPLE, Associated Press Writer

 

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (news - web sites), citing the war in Iraq (news - web sites) and other trouble spots in the world, raised the possibility Wednesday that a military draft could be reinstated if voters re-elect President Bush (news - web sites).

 

 

Kerry said he would not bring back the draft and questioned how fairly it was administered in the past.

 

 

Answering a question about the draft that had been posed at a forum with voters, Kerry said: "If George Bush (news - web sites) were to be re-elected, given the way he has gone about this war and given his avoidance of responsibility in North Korea (news - web sites) and Iran and other places, is it possible? I can't tell you."

 

 

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and other Pentagon (news - web sites) officials have been asked numerous times whether they thought a draft would be necessary to maintain force levels in Iraq. They have said consistently that they think it is neither necessary nor desirable, since today's military is built on volunteer service and professionalism.

 

 

His voice scratchy and breaking from a cold, Kerry called the president's proposal to give workers partly private Social Security (news - web sites) accounts a windfall for financial companies and one that will cut benefits for senior citizens.

 

 

"He's driving seniors right out of the middle class," Kerry said in a battleground state rich with voters keenly watching the candidates talk about two pillars of retirement, Social Security and Medicare.

 

 

"I will never privatize Social Security, ever," Kerry said, repeating promises not to raise the retirement age or cut benefits.

 

 

Kerry's two-day swing through Florida, which began Tuesday, follows deadly hurricanes that nearly halted polling and politicking in the state. Bush made his third campaign-season trip to Florida this week to assess damage caused by Hurricane Ivan. Kerry has been to the state that decided the 2000 election nine times this year.

 

 

Kerry opened the town hall-style meeting about government benefits by repeating his charges that the president is divorced from realities in Iraq and ignoring the manhunt for terrorists in Afghanistan (news - web sites). "Osama bin Forgotten," Kerry said.

 

 

Noting that the campaign Tuesday night neared Disney's "fantasy land" in Orlando, Fla., Kerry said: "The difference between George Bush and me is that I drove by it. He lives in it."

 

 

Returning to seniors' issues, Kerry said Bush made life harder for seniors with a Medicare drug benefit that doesn't let the government bargain for lower costs.

 

 

Kerry also cited a study by Austan Goolsbee, a University of Chicago business professor and informal adviser to the Kerry campaign, to say the president's Social Security proposal will cost seniors.

 

 

Bush favors allowing young workers to create voluntary personal savings accounts with some of the money they now pay into the Social Security system, a change he insists will not increase payroll taxes or change benefits for retirees or near retirees.

 

 

Goolsbee examined one model that proposes workers set aside a small percentage of their pay in private accounts as a method to adjust Social Security to a rapidly graying population, concluding that fees charged by financial companies could reap them hundreds of billions of dollars and eat 20 percent of the benefits in an account held by a worker making an average salary.

 

 

The Bush-Cheney campaign said the study makes assumptions based on policy decisions not yet made and contended that Kerry hasn't explained how he'd meet the challenges posed to Social Security by aging Baby Boomers.

 

 

"His record is one of voting for higher taxes on current retirees and ignoring the needs of future retirees," said Bush campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt.

 

 

Kerry wants to bolster the retirement program by reducing the deficit and expanding the economy. Some experts say economic growth might be insufficient to cover future benefits because those benefits grow as wages increase.

 

 

The Massachusetts senator also wants to improve Medicare by retooling the recently passed prescription drug benefit to let the government negotiate for bulk discounts on drugs.

[Jingus 0]

Kerry: Draft Likely to Return Under Bush

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, citing the war in Iraq (news - web sites) and other trouble spots in the world, raised the possibility Wednesday that a military draft could be reinstated if voters re-elect President Bush .

 

Answering a question about the draft that had been posed at a forum with voters, Kerry said: "If George Bush were to be re-elected, given the way he has gone about this war and given his avoidance of responsibility in North Korea and Iran and other places, is it possible? I can't tell you."

 

Gotta love the media. Exactly how the fuck does Kerry answering "I can't tell you" to someone who ASKED HIM about the draft get turned into "KERRY SAYS BUSH WILL REINSTATE DRAFT"?

[bob_barron 0]

I was going to make the the headline the same as the AP before I realised that Kerry didn't actually say that

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

Damn Liberal Media

[Guest GreatOne]

Damn I was hoping for someone to specify the difference between Kerry saying that Bush may reinstate the draft and Cheney's 'implication'.........................

 

You know the Dems are above that..................................

[Guest Cerebus]

Who's the one running a campaign based on fear again?

 

Edit: "I will never privatize Social Security ever."

 

Right he'll just let the system go bankrupt by 2040. But he's a Democrat so it will probably overflow with extra cash the instant he's in office.

[Guest GreatOne]

Which is why I say the Dems should just drop the 'we're above that' act, cause they suck at it.

[snuffbox 0]

It doesnt take much more than common sense to tell you that the return of the draft is a 'possibility'...

[UZI Suicide 0]

One bill is HR 163 , Whose principle sponsor is Democratic  Rep. Charles Rangel of New York. It has 14 co-sponsors, all of them Democrats in a Congress  controlled by Republicans. The bill was dead on arrival: it sits in a House subcommittee with no hearings or votes scheduled and no action expected.

 

In fact, Rangel told FactCheck.org through his spokesman Emile Milne that even he isn't pushing for passage, let alone Bush (emphasis added):

 

Rep. Rangel: I'm not pushing this bill . It's up to the President to come to me when he needs it.

 

The identical Senate bill, S. 89 , introduced by Democratic Sen. Ernest Hollings, and also was DOA. Not one other senator has co-sponsored it. It also sits in committee with no action scheduled or expected.

 

Both bills in question were drawn up before the Iraq war started, mostly to make a political point. Rangel said he acted to highlight Democratic objections to use of military force against Saddam Hussein. He wrote , "I truly believe that decision-makers who support war would more readily feel the pain of conflict and appreciate the sacrifice of those on the front lines if their children were there, too."

 

-FactCheck.org

 

 

Oh yeah.. Bush is REALLY pushing for that draft.

[snuffbox 0]

One bill is HR 163 , Whose principle sponsor is Democratic  Rep. Charles Rangel of New York. It has 14 co-sponsors, all of them Democrats in a Congress  controlled by Republicans. The bill was dead on arrival: it sits in a House subcommittee with no hearings or votes scheduled and no action expected.

 

In fact, Rangel told FactCheck.org through his spokesman Emile Milne that even he isn't pushing for passage, let alone Bush (emphasis added):

 

Rep. Rangel: I'm not pushing this bill . It's up to the President to come to me when he needs it.

 

The identical Senate bill, S. 89 , introduced by Democratic Sen. Ernest Hollings, and also was DOA. Not one other senator has co-sponsored it. It also sits in committee with no action scheduled or expected.

 

Both bills in question were drawn up before the Iraq war started, mostly to make a political point. Rangel said he acted to highlight Democratic objections to use of military force against Saddam Hussein. He wrote , "I truly believe that decision-makers who support war would more readily feel the pain of conflict and appreciate the sacrifice of those on the front lines if their children were there, too."

 

-FactCheck.org

 

 

Oh yeah.. Bush is REALLY pushing for that draft.

Who said hes 'pushing' for the draft?...I really doubt ANYBODY wants to use the draft...

 

the only thing thats been stated is that with whats been happening with the current regime's policies, the draft is a distant 'possibility'...nothing more is being said or implied.

[Guest Cerebus]

Kerry should have said "No, the possiblity of a draft is so remote and would be so damaging to our armed forces it can only happen if a truly unimagnable disaster occurs." That's the REAL answer.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

"Likely to return"? What a ridiculous headline. This isn't news.

[Jobber of the Week 0]

Yeah, the AP fucked it. Again.

 

Edwards did say that the draft wouldn't return if Kerry got elected, but whoop de do, anyone with a proper vision of politics would see that the draft isn't likely to happen under either President.

 

People who like to second-guess politicians, however, see a stronger chance of the world going kookoo and the draft coming back under Bush, since he's been re-elected he wouldn't have any political future to look out for if he did. Makes sense, but still pretty crazy in the current situation.

[Guest MikeSC]

Yeah, the AP fucked it. Again.

 

Edwards did say that the draft wouldn't return if Kerry got elected, but whoop de do, anyone with a proper vision of politics would see that the draft isn't likely to happen under either President.

 

People who like to second-guess politicians, however, see a stronger chance of the world going kookoo and the draft coming back under Bush, since he's been re-elected he wouldn't have any political future to look out for if he did. Makes sense, but still pretty crazy in the current situation.

Of course, the irony is that the liberals ARE e-mailing lots of kids in college, telling them a vote for Bush is a vote for the draft.

 

Then again, the press seems to have no problem with Kerry exploiting 9/11, either.

-=Mike

[snuffbox 0]

I think I got one of those emails...it also mentioned something about a black baby...

[2GOLD 0]

No party will use the draft unless their hand is forced. That party would be out of power till 2060 for making that move. It's political suicide.

 

The draft should only be used if the Armed Forces are really crushed somewhere and the draft is the last option.

 

Neither party will hang themselves.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

I think the only way we see a draft is if the invasion of the U.S. is about to happen. That's really the only way I see it happening.

 

No one aside from the few anti-war nuts in Congress will support this because it would be political suicide to do so.

[2GOLD 0]

I think the only way we see a draft is if the invasion of the U.S. is about to happen. That's really the only way I see it happening.

 

No one aside from the few anti-war nuts in Congress will support this because it would be political suicide to do so.

 

If the US is about to be invaded, we shouldn't NEED to be drafted into the army.

 

Be kinda sad if people claimed they didn't want to defend their home and ran to Canada.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

Oh I'm sure some people would or would run right over and surrender to the invading forces. You'll always get that.

[snuffbox 0]

Did the 1960s teach us nothing?

[Guest MikeSC]

Did the 1960s teach us nothing?

That a draft is an impossibility hints that somethin was learned.

-=Mike

[AndrewTS 0]

Who's the one running a campaign based on fear again?

 

Edit: "I will never privatize Social Security ever."

 

Right he'll just let the system go bankrupt by 2040. But he's a Democrat so it will probably overflow with extra cash the instant he's in office.

2040? The Boomers are going to hit retirement age *very* soon as it is. Either something is going to need to done about it, or we're going to have even more deficit spending (most likely what will happen).

[lomasmoney 0]

im 19 and I know there will be no Social Security by the time I'm 55 which is 2040. Hell my parents are in their early 40s and they might be in jeapordy

[AndrewTS 0]

Since a lot of this is basically the same article--I'll post this here rather than make a new thread.

 

Hmm...gotta love the how the headlines are either misleading or half-truths. Yeah, because Kerry hasn't been mocking Bush, too.

 

Bush Mocks Kerry's Leadership Credentials

 

Updated 10:18 PM ET September 22, 2004 

 

Listen to Audio Clip

 

By TERENCE HUNT and NEDRA PICKLER

 

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. (AP) - President Bush mocked John Kerry's fitness to be commander in chief Wednesday, saying the way to bring U.S. troops home from Iraq "is not to wilt or waver." Kerry suggested to a campaign crowd that Bush might bring back the military draft and said in an Associated Press interview that the president was "living in a make-believe world."

 

Answering a question about possible revival of the draft at a forum with voters in West Palm Beach, Fla., Kerry said, "If George Bush were to be re-elected, given the way he has gone about this war and given his avoidance of responsibility in North Korea and Iran and other places, it is possible. I can't tell you."

 

Bush, trying to show a leadership contrast with his Democratic opponent, said on a campaign trip to battleground Pennsylvania: "I'm driven by my desire to protect the American people. I'll be steadfast in my resolve to do everything I can to make you secure."

 

Less than six weeks before the election, Iraq was increasing in prominence as a campaign issue, thrust to center stage by spreading violence, kidnappings, beheadings and the deaths of more than 1,000 U.S. troops. With Americans divided about the war, Bush is trying to keep voters focused on what he says are Kerry's conflicting statements rather than the daily bombings and bloodshed.

 

"George Bush is trying to fight a phantom here because he won't tell the American people the truth, so he sets up something that's not a real issue and attacks it," Kerry said in the AP interview after his West Palm Beach event. He said Bush was "living in a make-believe world," unwilling to tell the truth or to understand the situation in Iraq.

 

"Even today, he blundered again saying there are only a handful of terrorists in Iraq," Kerry said. "George Bush retreated from Fallujah and other communities in Iraq which are now overrun with terrorists and threaten our troops."

 

Bush, in Pennsylvania, had said, "It's hard to help a country go from tyranny to elections to peace when there are a handful of people who are willing to kill in order to stop the process. And that's what you're seeing on the TV screens. You know, these people cannot beat us militarily."

 

Bush said the insurgents "use the only tool at their disposal, which is beheadings and death, to try to shake our will. They understand the nature of America. ... We weep when we think about the families affected by those who have been brutalized by these terrorists."

 

Back in Washington, Vice President Dick Cheney went before TV cameras on Capitol Hill to say Kerry's statements on Iraq and the war on terror showed "someone who lacks the resolve, the determination and the conviction to prevail in this conflict."

 

In that same vein, the Bush campaign put out a new television advertisement ridiculing Kerry on Iraq and other issues. It shows Kerry windsurfing left and right and says his positions shift "whichever way the wind blows."

 

The Democrats struck back with their own ad that says: "In the face of the Iraq quagmire, George Bush's answer is to run a juvenile and tasteless attack ad."

 

Kerry accuses Bush of creating a major crisis in Iraq with no prospect of an end. A number of U.S. troops have had their assignments extended because of the war, but Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and other Pentagon officials have said repeatedly that reviving the draft would be neither necessary nor desirable. The Bush campaign called Kerry's comment on the draft irresponsible.

 

Bush campaigned Wednesday in the suburbs of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. It was his 37th visit to Pennsylvania, his top target in the presidential sweepstakes with 21 of the 270 electoral votes needed to win. Four years ago Bush lost Pennsylvania to Democrat Al Gore but polls show the race this year is close.

 

In between speeches, Bush took an aerial tour of Allegheny County, where the remnants of Hurricane Ivan caused flooding that damaged or destroyed thousands of homes and businesses.

 

On Iraq, Bush will meet at the White House on Thursday with Ayad Allawi, the prime minister of Iraq's interim government who has said the terrorists are being defeated. Bush cited Allawi as a witness to the wisdom of U.S. policy.

 

"These are critical times and I'm glad the prime minister is here to reinforce the strategy we have in place," Bush said. He said more Iraqis have electricity now than under Saddam Hussein and that more children are going to school and getting immunizations.

 

Criticizing Kerry, Bush said that "the way to prevail, the way toward successful conclusion that we all want, the way to secure Iraq and bring our troops home as quickly as possible is not to wilt or waver or send mixed signals to the enemy."

 

"My opponent is sending mixed signals," the president said. "He has had many different positions on Iraq."

 

Bush has linked Iraq to the more politically popular war against terror, and he suggested that Kerry was too wobbly to keep Americans safe.

 

"You cannot lead the war against terror if you wilt or waver when things get tough," the president said.

 

Kerry, his voice scratchy from a cold, said in Florida that Bush was divorced from realities in Iraq and ignoring the manhunt for terrorists in Afghanistan. "Osama bin Forgotten," Kerry said, referring to the al-Qaida leader, still missing three years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

 

Besides Iraq, Kerry focused on Social Security while campaigning in Florida. He said the president's proposal to give workers partly private Social Security accounts would end up hurting senior citizens.

 

"He's driving seniors right out of the middle class," Kerry said in a battleground state rich with voters keenly watching the candidates talk about two pillars of retirement, Social Security and Medicare.

 

___

 

More juvenile crap from both sides. So, when exactly can we expect the first big debate?

[snuffbox 0]

September 30.

[Jingus 0]

Hey, the second reporter CHANGED THE QUOTE!

 

The original:

Answering a question about the draft that had been posed at a forum with voters, Kerry said: "If George Bush were to be re-elected, given the way he has gone about this war and given his avoidance of responsibility in North Korea and Iran and other places, is it possible? I can't tell you."

 

The NEW-N-IMPROVED-LOL version:

Answering a question about possible revival of the draft at a forum with voters in West Palm Beach, Fla., Kerry said, "If George Bush were to be re-elected, given the way he has gone about this war and given his avoidance of responsibility in North Korea and Iran and other places, it is possible. I can't tell you."

 

That's some lame bullshit "journalism" right there.

 

(And oh yeah: "King of Prussia, PA". WOW.)

[AndrewTS 0]

Heh, it's possible that was just a typo--since the "I can't tell you" makes no sense in the context of the second one. I'd think if they were deliberately out to mislead readers, they wouldn't say "it is possible" and leave the last sentence on there which would make you realize it was probably a typo.

[Vyce 0]

I think the only way we see a draft is if the invasion of the U.S. is about to happen.  That's really the only way I see it happening.

 

No one aside from the few anti-war nuts in Congress will support this because it would be political suicide to do so.

 

If the US is about to be invaded, we shouldn't NEED to be drafted into the army.

 

Be kinda sad if people claimed they didn't want to defend their home and ran to Canada.

They should. If they do, the Canadians will be kind enough to build them a nice little memorial for their cowardice.

[Jobber of the Week 0]

Then again, the press seems to have no problem with Kerry exploiting 9/11, either.

-=Mike

Probably because Bush exploits 9/11 even more.

[St. Gabe 0]

Yeah, the AP fucked it. Again.

 

Edwards did say that the draft wouldn't return if Kerry got elected, but whoop de do, anyone with a proper vision of politics would see that the draft isn't likely to happen under either President.

 

People who like to second-guess politicians, however, see a stronger chance of the world going kookoo and the draft coming back under Bush, since he's been re-elected he wouldn't have any political future to look out for if he did. Makes sense, but still pretty crazy in the current situation.

Of course, the irony is that the liberals ARE e-mailing lots of kids in college, telling them a vote for Bush is a vote for the draft.

 

Then again, the press seems to have no problem with Kerry exploiting 9/11, either.

-=Mike

Who exactly are you talking about when you say "the liberals" and why do you say it with such disdain? Don't you like liberals? and if not, why not?