Where Else Will the Soldiers Come From?

Everyone is going ape$#!# about Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) saying he will introduce legislation to reinstate the draft. First of all, in case you are reality impaired, this has no chance of passing. Secondly, if we stay in Iraq with no plan to significantly reduce troop levels, we will eventually need to institute a draft. Its simple math. We get out relatively soon or we get more soldiers. Finally, the response to this blows my mind. It reminds me of what I think was the single greatest failing of the Bush Administration (which is saying something) immediately after 9/11: they refused to ask the American people to sacrifice for the war on terror. We were told to be good little consumers, to take our tax cuts and go shopping, leave the war to someone else. We missed the opportunity to become a stronger, more unified nation by fostering a more urgent sense of public service. Now, the most difficult decision most people face is what color "Support the Troops" ribbon to put on the back of their SUV. My bottom line is this: if the war on terror really is a struggle for the future of civilization (as has been suggested by the Bush Administration) then shouldn't we use every resource at our disposal to fight it? If the former is true we must exercise the latter.