Charlie Rangel wants you!

Why is it that Charlie Rangel loves the draft so much? Before 2004, he introduced a bill to reinstate the draft, trying to claim that he was only doing what President Bush would do after the election. That had no basis in anything resembling fact, and his bill went nowhere, but at least I understood the political impetus behind a Democrat claiming the President had a double-secret plan to draft poor people for "his" war.

But what explains Rep. Rangel's ongoing efforts to reinstate the draft? He says it's to deter future politicians from going to war:

"There's no question in my mind that this president and this administration would never have invaded Iraq, especially on the flimsy evidence that was presented to the Congress, if indeed we had a draft and members of Congress and the administration thought that their kids from their communities would be placed in harm's way."

Of course, having the draft didn't stop the U.S. from going to war in Korea and Vietnam. And Rep. Rangel and other Democrats (and Republicans, depending on who's in office) routinely savage the children of the privileged for finding ways to "avoid" the draft. If he's convinced of that fact, why does he think his draft will result in more of the privileged class serving? Does he believe he can close the "loopholes" like college deferment? In this vein, note that Rep. Rangel's efforts before the 2004 election had wide support in the "peace movement" and the Congressional Black Caucus.

For that matter, does he have any evidence to support his Michael Moore-esque allegation that children of Congress and the administration serve at lower rates than the rest of the country? I recall, but cannot find right now, in the aftermath of Farenheit 9/11 research showed that children and close relatives of Congress served at a higher-than-expected rate compared to the general public.

Perhaps he's intent on making John Kerry's delusional opinion about the quality of our troops come true, and he wants more drug addicts, drop-outs, and other idiots in the Army. Maybe he thinks an ignorant, doped-up Army will be too incompetent to fight any wars.

Or maybe he just wants to help folks get out of Mississippi.

P.S. For the record, we have plenty of high-quality troops.

UPDATE: Welcome, Michelle Malkin readers! Please visit a bit and check us out. In particular, be sure to read my co-blogger Bobby's post on Henry Kissinger and the war in Iraq. Bobby is stationed in Iraq now, and he knows more than most about what's really going on.

P.P.S. The original Charlie Rangel picture I used for the Photoshop above shows how obsessed the gentleman from New York is with the draft, I think. He chose to put this picture on his official Congressional biography page: