Do you think "expand" means "draft"? How else could that be done? Haven't they already lowered standards for volunteers yet still come up short? So could it mean anything other then an impending draft? A draft that will be blamed on the Democratic Congress?

You know how when Ball Park Franks expand when they cook? It is because there are pig lungs in the hotdog that inflate under heat. That is what Bush is talking about.

It means he wants more military contractors. Basically more subsidizing of war profiteers like Halliburton.

They don't have the political capital to swing a draft, and they know it. They're only avoiding impeachment by the grace of the compromised Democrats.

Barring a catalytic event, the American people will not rally behind a draft. Yes, I am plagiarizing from the Project For A New American Century. This century has only just begun.

It's worth remembering that 9/11 came along right as the American public was shedding its denial that the NASDAQ implosion really did predict a wider recession, but in the six months prior to 9/11, the financial cheerleaders of the business press continued to predict sunny days ahead. Now, in 2006, many of us sense that the bills are coming due next year for the insane tax cuts and war spending of Bush II, but the cheerleaders will still predict soft landings.

The propaganda was deep in 2001 and it's deep today.

the great blog of nouriel roubini wrote:These days I get asked daily in interviews and talks: "How do you explain that the market consensus is still so far from your recession call for 2007? Why does almost everyone on Wall Street believe that there will be no recession? What do you know that they do not?"

Actually I do not know anything that they do not; we use the same public information and, of course, I have no inside information. My explanation of the consensus view about a "soft landing" is that there is a massive and systematic bias in forecasting recessions. Take the following telling example: in March 2001 in a survey 95% of US economic forecasters predicted that there would not be a recession in 2001; 95% of them! Too bad that the recession had already started exactly in March of that year!.

It might soon be time for a major distraction from the economy.

The figure I heard was 5000 more each for the Army and Marines. I would think 10,000 more troops is too small a number to justify a draft. Then again, that could also be a preliminary figure.

By the way, wouldn't it take about 2 years to train these new recruits? How would that help in Iraq now?

Will he just sustain the war until he is out of office so that he isn't seen as "losing" the war?

Selective Service is in 'test mode'.

The Selective Service—the federal agency that would be integral to any draft effort by the Bush administration—will perform tests on its system equipment, the Associated Press is reporting.

Selective Service "is planning a comprehensive test of the military draft machinery, which hasn't been run since 1998," writes Kasie Hunt. "The agency is not gearing up for a draft," an agency official told Hunt, and "the test itself would not likely occur until 2009."

Bush's Secretary for Veterans Affairs, Jim Nicholson, meanwhile remarked that "society would benefit" should the draft return; he later issued a press release stating "he does not support reinstituting a draft."

Fear among Americans of a military draft are rising as the situation in Iraq worsens. President Bush yesterday admitted for the first time that "the United States is not winning the war in Iraq" and said he is seeking expansion of U.S. armed forces.

From this a.m.'s Boston Globe:

WASHINGTON -- The armed forces, already struggling to meet recruiting goals, are considering expanding the number of noncitizens in the ranks -- including disputed proposals to open recruiting stations overseas and putting more immigrants on a faster track to US citizenship if they volunteer -- according to Pentagon officials.

Foreign citizens serving in the US military is a highly charged issue, which could expose the Pentagon to criticism that it is essentially using mercenaries to defend the country. Other analysts voice concern that a large contingent of noncitizens under arms could jeopardize national security or reflect badly on Americans' willingness to serve in uniform.

I like how these analysts can't voice a third obvious reason for sluggish recruiting- the war is an imperialist adventure built on LIES! There is no definable victory.

If the US wants results, round up all remaining Baathists, make Saddam their commander, and put them in charge of guarding the oil wells from al-Sadr. It worked for 24 years.

I hadn't realized that we are 'using' non-citizens in the armed forces. Are they independent contractors?

Excuse my ignorance, it just seems damn strange on the surface.

It is kind of strange, but it's economics that largely fuels recruiting, not patriotism- just like every bus boy and grape picker is Latino, so are the grunts of the Army. Desperate people take dangerous low-paying jobs. During Vietnam, the blacks were over-represented in the casualties. Now, it's the browns. Watch the rundowns of the dead soldiers on Jim Lehrer's news- every other casualty is a Latino from the American southwest ( the other former surprise in the victim count is the number of dead between 30 and 40, even older on occasion- men from the reserves or the National Guard; good thing those flag-draped coffins are off-limits for TV ).

These are from 2004 data- I found them with a quick search.
Foreign-born in US military. ( This is not really accurate, if you want to know how many illegal immigrants are being converted into military as payment for citizenship, obviously .)


Pretty much instant citizenship. Gotta make them quotas.

For the foreign born serving in the armed forces, the traditional five-year waiting period to apply for citizenship has been waived by a July 2002 executive order.

Foreign-born members of the military can apply for US citizenship without the mandatory five-year waiting period. In general, when the foreign born apply for citizenship, there is a five-year waiting period from the time they get their "green cards" until they can apply to become naturalized US citizens.

Under previous rules, the five-year period was reduced to three years for military members. Since a July 3, 2002 executive order, there has been no mandatory waiting period for military personnel. The naturalization process typically takes eight to 10 months from the time an application is submitted until the oath of citizenship is administered.

Thanks for dying for us, Mexicans!