McCain On Reinstituting A Military Draft: ‘I Don’t Disagree'

[Barack_America]

Source: Think Progress

Today at a townhall meeting, an audience member praised Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) for his vow to “follow bin Laden to the gates of hell.” After a long question about veterans’ care, the questioner said she believed we needed to reinstate the draft, to which McCain seemed to readily agree:

QUESTIONER: If we don’t reenact the draft, I don’t think we’ll have anyone to chase Bin Laden to the gates of hell.



MCCAIN: Ma’am, let me say that I don’t disagree with anything you said.

(snip)

Transcript:

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Senator McCain I truly hope you get the opportunity to chase Bin Laden right to the gates of hell and push him in as you stated on your forum. I do have a question though. Disable veterans, especially in this state have horrible conditions, their medical is substandard. They drive four hours one way to Albuquerque for a simple doctors appointment which is often canceled. Our VA hospital is dirty it is understaffed, it is running on maximum overload. The prescription medicines are ten years behind standard medical care we have seven hundred claims stacked up at the VA office in Albuquerque some of them are ten and seven years old waiting to be processed in the mean time these people are homeless. My son is an officer in the Air Force, and I am a vet and I was raised in a military family. I think it is a sad state of affairs when we have illegal aliens having a Medicaid card that can access specialist top physicians, the best of medical and our vets can’t even get to a doctor. These are the people that we tied yellow ribbons for and Bush patted on the back. If we don’t reenact the draft I don’t think we will have anyone to chase Bin Laden to the gates of hell.

MCCAIN: Ma’am let me say that I don’t disagree with anything you said and thank you and I am grateful for your support of all of our veterans.

Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/2008/08/20/mccain-support-draft/

---

Video at link.

Though it was a long and rambling, McCain did appear to be listening to her statement, even pausing at the end to let her finish.

You be the judge.

(apologies for the blog source, this hasn't hit the MSM yet. I hope this still qualifies as LBN)

[Avalux]

1. Yeah, we're gonna need the bodies to fight Russia.

Young people can't afford school or get jobs so they might as well get drafted. :sarcasm:

[Doctor Cynic]

2. Meanwhile the Chinese are laughing all the way to the bank.

[MidwestTransplant]

3. Exactly. Look for a clarification too.

[Barack_America]

4. Such as, "John McCain doesn't speak for the McCain campaign"?

Yep, I've no doubt somebody else from the campaign will clarify what McCain "really" meant tomorrow.

[dmr]

That's the sad truth n/t

[L0oniX]

5. Hey there ya go ...start a draft and watch unemployment drop.

:sarcasm:

[asksam]

55. Considering that B*sh seems intent on dragging us into a war with Russia before January...

... who knows, we may actually need the draft if McSame wins. I don't know if we could fight three countries at once without one.

Just another reason we have to make sure we win in November.

[kickysnana]

6. College Presidents calling for the lowering drinking age to 18 is part of this process. n/t

[greyghost]

14. Damn straight it is!

[AndyTiedye]

7. MCCAIN WILL DRAFT YOUR KIDS!!!!!!

Pass it on!

MCCAIN WILL DRAFT YOUR KIDS!!!

[greyghost]

15. Damn straight he will! WWIII will demand it!

[hack89]

61. Only if a Democratic Congress lets him.

Don't see it happening.

[Barack_America]

8. New video incorporating this clip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yedaFQuVps

[pleah]

10. Gee, I wonder why they are not taking comments on that video.

;-)

[greyghost]

17. This video has 527 written ALL over it.

[Barack_America]

19. Yep. I think the point of highlighting his statement today...

Is to force him to answer the question outright, perhaps during a debate.

Then it's game over.

[Wizard777]

9. Bin Laden isn't in Iran dumbass! But oil is.

Once again we're going to go after Bush's dog Bin laden. Once again the troops will end up somewhere else. Probably a place with oil. Like Iran.

[greyghost]

16. Or Russia.

[Alexander]

11. If McCain wins, you get drafted.

[calimary]

32. Hello, Democrats... Hello Obama campaign... ANYBODY HOME???????????????

ANYBODY??????

Damn, they're handing us a solid gold campaign commercial and is ANYBODY gonna make use of it??????

Frankly, if our side does NOT use this to scare some of OUR people into getting their lazy apathetic asses to the polls to vote, then we don't deserve to win.

If mcsame gets elected, YOU GET DRAFTED!!!

[wordpix]

51. I agree, this needs to be a campaign ad

[bulloney]

12. Crash will deny saying this by tomorrow.

[zbdent]

13. He's going to need to force people to be there

for the "make it a hundred" years ...

[trthnd4jstc]

18. Vote Democratic, yet we do need the draft.

We need to end the imperial presidency, indict Bush and Cheney, and several others on charges of treason, and war crimes, but we do need the draft. The idiot president has put our nation in a very precarious situation. We need the draft. We need to make more people responsible. If the Rich had there children in the military more than the few that already do, would they be so willing to have so many wars?

[pnwmom]

20. We absolutely do not need the draft.

We instituted the draft because one of the lessons of the Vietnam war was that, given a steady stream of fresh soldier bodies, there was almost NOTHING to stop the war machine. Yes, we had protests -- for YEARS. And yes, the war finally ended -- but only after those years of protests AND more than 50,000 Americans dead. If we hadn't had a draft, the war would have ended much sooner. No one would have been volunteering.

[Raster]

30. I agree with you pnwmom. Instituting a draft just legitimizes the war machine eating our children.

Instead of using our national creativity and intelligence to find ways to wage war, we ought to be finding ways to curtail and end war. Of course that will mean the profits of the warmongers will be severely limited. Not to mention its unholy twin the Texas Petroleum Mafia--how will they steal resources from other countries???

War is a good business. Invest a child today!

I don't fucking think so!

[trthnd4jstc]

42. I definately see your criticism.

My views on the draft go like this:

First off all Sociopaths, such as our genius of a president, should not be president.
2nd, we should have a shared investment in our military
3rd, the protection of our nation should be shared by most everyone.
4rth, when one understands the magnitude of war, maybe one would not be so ready to start, or go to war.
5th, the ones carrying the burden for our nation, are carrying a burden for those who are not sacrificing as much as they, even if these soldiers and sailors, and airmen, and marines, and coast guarders have chosen their careers, they are serving our nation.

I do not like war. I fought in an illegal Reagan war. The rich benefit from war, that the poor often fight.

I do not wish for more war. I hate war. I did something in the illegal war I am not proud of. If we all were drafted then maybe these stupid illegal wars might end. I would love for our nation to be one of justice and honor. I hate the power the military industrial complex holds over our nation, and our government.

I can completely understand your stand against the draft, can you understand my views for it, or do you just wish to cuss at me?

[uppityperson]

43. The rich/powerful will not have their kids drafted. If you are going to hope for impossibles like th

like that, then just hope for no wars at all, rather than giving them more bodies of the not rich and not powerful to waste. Work towards ending these stupid wars, or making them harder to start, rather than givingn them more bodies to waste. "all" will not ever be drafted, do you seriously believe there is a way to accomplish that? Congress will pass something to do that? They won't pass something to stop the war now, why would they do something like that?

[Raster]

45. Not at all. I see your point perfect.ly. AND AGREE. The cost of war--all the costs--must

be borne by all fairly. I would prefer to dismantle the machine. But if we must, then all must share the pain, not just the poor or lower classes. If more rich kids ended up blown to bits in Iraq, we would have found a solution to that debacle YEARS AGO!

[AndyTiedye]

26. If We Had the Draft The Mad Cowboys Would Have Attacked Iran Already

Don't ever think you can put rich kids in harms way if they don't want to be.
Even if you can force them to "serve", it's no big deal. Ask W about his "service"!

They want the draft, but they want to make the Democrats take the heat for it!
They want the draft because they want more cannon fodder for more wars.

End the war. We don't need a draft.

[pnwmom]

39. You're right. No doubt they would have. n/t

[KamaAina]

50. We had the draft in 'Nam, yet somehow Bush, Cheney, Quayle and others evaded it

hell, even Rush the OxyMoron managed to come down with an anal cyst! Having a draft doesn't guarantee that the rich and well-connected won't find a way to weasel out of it.

edit: punctuation

[wordpix]

52. that's because of the loopholes for the richies and their sons

[Thothmes]

58. Loopholes put there by the Congress of the United States.

[hack89]

62. No we don't

High tech militaries cannot be built around conscripts - by the time they are trained and useful their enlistment is up and they go home. Both Russian and China are learning that lesson the hard way - they are building their most modern forces around volunteers with longer terms of enlistment.

[Barack_America]

21. Olbermann bringing this up now.

:woohoo:

[mtf80123]

27. Anyone pay attention to the audience?

Not one young person in that crowd clapped.

[Barack_America]

28. I didn't notice that. But I will watch again and look for it!

I made a mental note to watch the women who looked like they could be mothers, too.

[bushisanidiot]

22. Hot-head McInsane will indeed start WWIII. He WANTS to fight Russia, Iran,

continue the "war" in Iraq and ignore Afghanistan. He thinks the only way to look like a leader is to lead in a time of war. He wouldn't know what to do with peace if it were handed to him on a silver platter (i.e. If he had won in 2000 instead of AWOL Bush).

Republicans need war to make their oil buddies rich and to keep the rest of us in line.

Yeah, he'll bring back the draft. No doubt.

[AlphaCentauri]

23. Draft: Good Idea start with the top 1 %

[bronxiteforever]

24. McCain never saw a war he didn't love. A violent man for the party of violence.

[Unsane]

25. Going to be enraged if Obama or a 527 doesn't jump on this post haste.

[tuffi9]

29. Reinstating the draft

Folks your kids are going to war.  Get up off your ass and
vote for Obama, if not Obama, vote for anyone but McCain. Talk
is cheap, guys.

[Barack_America]

33. Welcome to DU!

:hi:

And would you mind sending that message to about 10,000 of your closest friends? ;)

[pnwmom]

40. A great first post! Thank you, tuffi9, and welcome to DU!

Only change I'd make: vote for Obama -- any other vote helps McCain.

[and-justice-for-all]

31. Fuck them and their warmongering! nt

[orleans]

34. obama camp needs to get that into an ad RIGHT NOW!

the last line the woman said and then mcshithead's response.

blast it EVERYWHERE.

who will protest against mcshit more? the kids or their parents??

[Barack_America]

37. Agreed.

This one's a good start.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yedaFQuVps

[roamer65]

35. Insane McSame will be the last president of the United States if he gains the office.

I see states leaving the union if he goes to the WH.

[RoccoR5955]

36. K & freakin' R!

We need a draft, so that he can start WW III. He wants to go to war with Iran, Russia, and stay in Iraq for a hundred years, even though the Iraq government would rather us get out.

Wake up sheeple. A vote for McAin't is a vote for WW III.

[Barack_America]

38. Exactly...

We couldn't have asked the McCain campaign for a better gift heading into the convention.

The Dems should hammer him hard on his "foreign policy judgment" all week long.

[Barack_America]

41. Digg this article up! Link.

http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/McCain_Hints_at_Support_for_a_Military_Draft_in_America

Thanks!

:hi:

[Bragi]

44. Draft == Fewer wars /nt

[Robb]

46. Allow me to share a parable

My local town council meets once a month.

The meetings tended to last until midnight, so to ease the pressure they decided a few years back to meet twice a month.

They wound up with two meetings that went until midnight. After a few months they went back to one.

The number of wars won't hinge on whether or not there is a draft. I fear a larger body to pull from will only make the ones we have worse.

[Thothmes]

60. Not sure I agree with that

WWI, WWII, Korea, and Vietnam all fought by large contingents of Draftees.

[Supersedeas]

47. College Chickenhawks must be squirming like cowardly little Repigs today

[MasonJar]

48. If America is too stupid to stop starting wars, we do need a draft. It would

be preferable to become a nation promoting peace, of course, but I am not sure Americans have the will. It has been unconscionable to keep sending those same, exhausted, mentally depleted troops to Iraq and Afghanistan.

[bushisanidiot]

49. He can't have MY son!

McCain is out of control with his tough talk on Russia and Iran. He will have us in two more wars before innauguration day!

[wordpix]

53. mine, either! BushCo BigOil foreigh policy and lack of diplomacy mean our kids get drafted?

No way!

[Felix Mala]

54. When he heard this, W. Bush immediately contacted Texas national guard...

Condi stopped him and explained he was past the draft age...

[asksam]

56. I find it highly ironic...

... that the guy who admitted on national television to being a war criminal and bombing innocent civilians thinks that we will need a draft to commit more war atrocities. I guess once a war criminal, always a war criminal.

[bushisanidiot]

57. McCain = DRAFT KICK!

.

[bushisanidiot]

59. kick

.