Do you think that bush will start the draft as soon..

[butterfly77]

as the 2008 election is over,because there won't be enough time to impeach and the whitehouse will be in the hands of another president who will have to deal with the fallout. Will he wait until Jan 2009 before the inaugaration of another pres...

[TechBear_Seattle]

1. Possibly, but why?

What would be the point? Anyway, I don't think the President alone could start a draft; that would take an act of Congress.

[Lerkfish]

3. a unitary executive certainly could, under martial law.

as if shrub considers congress anything other than something to wipe his butt with.

[Zensea]

4. It would get blocked in court immediately

Bush can prattle about the unitary executive all he wants, but he's only able to get away with it if the other two branches of the government let him.

[Lerkfish]

6. exactly who would stop him?

apparently you're under the impression we have a healthy checks and balances system at the moment. I'm not convinced that is certain.

[Zensea]

7. I've seen evidence it's still alive

whether healthy or not is another question but there are definitely signs of health.
The judiciary (including the Supreme Court) has been slapping Bush around regarding the detainees, for example.

In order for a draft to work, people have to go along with it. Passive resistance, as in refusing to show up for a physical, would be one way to stop it. That is, the People can stop it, even if one of the other branches of government doesn't.
I also still have enough qualified confidence in Americans that if Bush tried to ram a draft through by martial law fiat, there would be a massive outcry and it would definitely end up in the courts immediately.

The sheer logistics of the whole thing would be impossible to maintain also. What are They going to do, round up all the eligible 18-26 year olds and make them enter the military? Them and what army?
Maybe in a movie, but it's not going to happen in the real world.

[butterfly77]

9. Because, he will set up the circumstances...

between Iran and Korea for war,and at the rate it is going I wouldn't put it past these people especially if they lose power.

[Zensea]

2. Takes an act of Congress to start a draft

I'm fairly sure.
That's what is stated here, for example.
http://usmilitary.about.com/od/deploymentsconflicts/a/draftprocess.htm

"1. CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENT AUTHORIZE A DRAFT. A crisis occurs which requires more troops than the volunteer military can supply. Congress passes and the President signs legislation which starts a draft. It should be noted that the President cannot initiate a draft on his own. Congress would first have to pass legislation (both the House and Senate), and the President would have to sign the bill into law."



Actually, I am reluctantly in favor of a draft (despite having been and partly because of having been a conscientious objector at the end of the Vietnam War). Makes people think about what their government is doing.

[Freddie Stubbs]

5. Here we go again

Does anyone remember all of the threads on DU predicting that the draft was going to be reinstated in the Spring after the 2004 election?

[onenote]

8. Yep.

Wasn't martial law supposed to have been declared by now too?

[butterfly77]

11. There is still time...

[Freddie Stubbs]

12. It's no longer the Spring after the 2004 election

[butterfly77]

10. And it looks more and more like it could...

[RedXIII]

13. If Dubya .....

Starts the Draft then why don't we start burning Draft Cards as a protest to the military about the way they treat Gays, Hey it worked in the 60's.