Rumors of an impending reinstatement of the military draft have been flying across the internet for quite a while now. And while we have heard all about the draft during the Vietnam War, the candidates have finally addressed the issue of the draft as it applies to this war. At a campaign event yesterday Senator John Kerry said that the draft may return if Mr. Bush wins the election. Asked about the possibility, Kerry said, “If George Bush were to be re-elected, given the way he has gone about this war and given his avoidance of responsibility in North Korea and Iran and other places, is it possible? I can’t tell you.” Kerry and Edwards have both said that there will not be a draft under a Kerry administration.

Former Democratic presidential candidate Governor Howard Dean has also raised concerns about a potential reinstatement of the draft. In his column Dean writes, “American families and young people are owed an explanation about the President’s plans. Will the President withdraw from some of our military commitments or will he reinstate the draft? We need to know that before we vote, not afterwards.”

Mr. Bush’s defenders accuse the Democrats of fear mongering, likening it to Cheney’s comment some weeks ago that Kerry’s election would increase the odds of a terrorist attack. It is an allegation that works well for the Bush campaign and conveniently evades the real question that Governor Dean posed so clearly. Does Bush intend to reinstate the draft or not? And if not, how does he intend to deal with our current shortage of troops? Unlike Kerry and Edwards, Bush has given no such clear answer. Though he insists that a draft is not necessary right now, he continues to avoid the question of whether he intends to bring back the draft in the future.

Bush’s waffling on this issue only makes the theory of the draft’s return seem even more likely every time he speaks about it. Something to keep in mind when you head to the polls on November 2…