(Host) Congressman Bernie Sanders says he believes that it’s possible that President Bush may try to bring back a military draft in order to beef up U.S. forces in Iraq.
Speaking Tuesday night on VPR’s Switchboard program, Sanders noted that Bush strongly opposed a draft during the recent presidential campaign. The congressman says imposing a draft would present a lot of political problems for the president:
(Sanders) “Suddenly then the middle class and the upper middle class are going to be very concerned about foreign policy, what’s happening in Iraq. And it’s one thing to bring low income or working class volunteers if you like into a military who fully understood that when you sign up with the marines or the army this is what could happen. It’s a very different story when you’re taking kids out of college whose parents are lawyers and doctors and you say, hey Mr. President my kid is not going over there.”
(Host) But Sanders sees a scenario where the president could be forced to consider reinstating the draft:
(Sanders) “If you continue this type of foreign policy and if you have troops in Iraq, in Afghanistan, maybe elsewhere – you’re really stretching the military very, very thinly. And the draft may be an option that he will have to look at. I should tell you I am not sympathetic and will not vote for a draft.”
(Host) Sanders says he would like to bring U.S. troops home from Iraq as soon as possible but he says it’s not realistic to think that this could happen anytime in the near future.