Congressional leaders, mainly Democrats, have been talking about the need to return to a draft to fill the nation's military ranks.
They are wrong.
The two-front war in Iraq and Afghanistan is being waged by a capable all-volunteer military force that has been able to meet its recruitment goals. The tragedy of 9/11 brought forward a sense of duty among our young people not seen perhaps since World War II.
These days, though, some in Congress believe that the country should return to a draft to ensure that a broad cross section of Americans - rich and poor, minority and non-minority - fulfill their duty to fight for their country. The charge in Congress has been led by Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., a highly decorated Korean War veteran.
The draft ended in 1973, about the time the Vietnam War was drawing to a close. It ended because of tremendous political pressure to stop forcing young men into the military to fight a war that had torn the country apart. What the country has gotten in return has been, over time, a highly efficient and dedicated corps of volunteers who serve because they believe in the mission or because they can use the military as a stepping stone toward other career opportunities.
If the nation ever were to call for a general mobilization, which it did in the weeks immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor, then a draft would be required. The decision to mobilize, however, has to come as a result of a compelling need.
Tinkering with the ranks of the military as a form of social engineering doesn't measure up.