OBAMA calls for draft!!

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-05-2008
OBAMA calls for draft!!
17
Tue, 10-07-2008 - 2:12am

Obama calls for the Draft.

In remarks that clearly pointed toward the restoration of the military draft under an Obama administration, the Democratic candidate said Thursday night that his job as president would include demanding that the American people recognize an "obligation" for military service. "If we are going into war, then all of us go, not just some,” Senator Barack Obama declared.


National service forum at Columbia University



In remarks that clearly pointed toward the restoration of the military draft under an Obama administration, the Democratic candidate said Thursday night that his job as president would include demanding that the American people recognize an “obligation” for military service. ��If we are going into war, then all of us go, not just some,” Senator Barack Obama declared.


Obama’s comments came as he and his Republican opponent, Senator John McCain, took part in a forum on national service at Columbia University in New York City. Earlier in the day, both candidates joined in a memorial service at the site of the World Trade Center, commemorating the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.


While “national service” encompasses more than the military, including such government-run programs as the Peace Corps, Americorps and Teach for America, as well as private and religious programs, both McCain and Obama focused on expanding the US Armed Forces as a major goal of the next administration, whether Democratic or Republican.


In an indication of the bipartisan support for the increasing militarization of American society, McCain jokingly offered to name Obama his coordinator for national service if the Republican were to win the election, and Obama reciprocated.


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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 10-07-2008 - 4:17am

Tsk, tsk, I thought you did not like commies and here you are quoting the World Socialist Web Site http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/sep2008/obam-s13.shtml

This gives a better context for what was actually said:

McCain also said he would have asked Americans to serve after the terrorist attacks by joining neighborhood watches or helping guard nuclear plants, offering an implicit criticism of President Bush's approach seven years ago. In a speech after the attacks, Bush exhorted the public to "do your business around the country, fly and enjoy America's great destination spots, get down to Disney World in Florida." Though Bush emphasizes the importance of volunteerism and service, he didn't ask Americans to respond to the attacks or participate in the Iraq war through personal sacrifice.

Obama has promised that a call to service would be a cornerstone of his presidency. He criticized Bush for asking those eager to help after the attacks merely "to shop."

Obama, who has said he didn't join the military because the country wasn't at war when he was young, said he would encourage more people from all parts of the country to serve in the Armed Forces.

"If you go to small towns, throughout the Midwest or the Southwest or the South, every town has tons of young people who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan," he said. "That's not always the case in other parts of the country, in more urban centers, and I think it's important for the president to say, this is an important obligation. If we are going into war, then all of us go, not just some."

The expansion of government national service programs Obama has proposed would cost $3.5 billion a year, including a new "Green Vet Initiative," increasing the all-volunteer military, expanding AmeriCorps, doubling the size of the Peace Corps, expanding service programs involving retired people, and creating a tax credit making the first $4,000 of college tuition free for students who perform 100 hours of public service a year.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gdL90NvNBtf26vpcc1eaQhwi2XFQD934TC280

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-13-2008
Tue, 10-07-2008 - 7:58am

Yeah, suggesting going to war is a national proposition sounds like war mongering - not.


He is saying the choice of war is *serious* and not whimsical, something to do in our spare time. George Bush and the current administration viewed war as a first option in dealing with the world. War means failure, it is the absolute last option.


Obama gets this. I'd like to see a constitutional amendment that required a president to resign if initiating offensive action (above a certain threshold) against a country that has not attacked us. If they truly believe it is right, they will resign. If they do not, then it is a powerful check against what happened in this decade.


Full length fiction: worlds undone

"You have no power over my body..." ~ Anne Hutchinson

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-19-2008
Tue, 10-07-2008 - 11:08am

So here we have a blowhard who never served a day in the military himself but now thinks others ought to do so. Whoopee!

Can we just draft Democrats?

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iVillage Member
Registered: 02-19-2008
Tue, 10-07-2008 - 11:10am
Well with Biden as VP we'll have 2 war-mongers in the White House.
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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-26-2008
Tue, 10-07-2008 - 11:11am
Nah - we should just draft Republicans - those are the ones that want endless war...
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-19-2008
Tue, 10-07-2008 - 11:16am
You had best check your VP nominee out a little better if you are truly concerned about avoiding war.
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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-26-2008
Tue, 10-07-2008 - 11:18am
LOL - your
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-05-2006
Tue, 10-07-2008 - 11:19am

That's rich, LOL!

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iVillage Member
Registered: 02-19-2008
Tue, 10-07-2008 - 11:32am
Your VP voted to invade Iraq and thought sending troops to Darfur was a good idea. You liberals need to get your own house in order before worrying about Republicans.
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iVillage Member
Registered: 02-19-2008
Tue, 10-07-2008 - 11:33am
From what I've heard it is hard to tell what BO wants to do about Iraq. I believe he would like to escalate the war in Afghanistan.
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