No, Virginia, There is No Draft

FactCheck.Org is calling attention to a misleading e-mail that has been making the rounds of the internet, which claims that the Bush Administration is quietly passing legislation which would reinstate the Draft "as soon as June 15, 2005." This e-mail is false. And has no connection to reality. The only bills of this type going thru Congress at this time are sponsored by Democrats, are not supported by Bush, and have no chance of passing. FactCheck.Org does its usual excellent job tearing apart the falsehoods.

One bill is HR 163 , whose principle sponsor is Democratic Rep. Charles Rangel of New York. It has 14 co-sponsors, all of them Democrats in a Congress controlled by Republicans. The bill was dead on arrival: it sits in a House subcommittee with no hearings or votes scheduled and no action expected...The identical Senate bill, S. 89 , introduced by Democratic Sen. Ernest Hollings, and also was DOA. Not one other senator has co-sponsored it. It also sits in committee with no action scheduled or expected...The scare story also gets it wrong when it claims the budget for the Selective Service is being increased by $28 million in 2004. In fact, the Selective Service System's budget is flat...Military experts say a draft doesn't make sense. Numerous news accounts have quoted military experts as saying a draft would cause more problems for the military than it would solve.

Is this another internet hoax, like the old one that claims to give you $100 if you forward along an e-mail to all of your friends? Is it an election year tactic to sway undecided voters away from Bush at all costs? Is it something Michael Moore whipped up while on a 36 hour twinkie bender? Who knows. Just be aware it is false if it comes your way, and be sure to tell your friends as well!