military

Civilian control of the military is a cherished principle in American government. It was President Obama who decided to increase our involvement in Afghanistan, and it is Congress that will decide whether to appropriate the money to carry out his decision. It is the president and Congress, not the military, that will decide whether our laws should be changed to allow gays and lesbians to serve in our armed forces. The military advises, but the civilian leadership decides. Yet if not for the actions of George Washington, whose birthday we celebrate, sort of, this month, America might have moved in a very different direction. In early 1783, with Revolutionary War victory in sight but peace uncertain, Washington and the Continental Read More ›

Of all the upside-down, misreported issues of 2004, the phoniest is the Kerry camp’s assertion that a re-elected George W. Bush will bring back the draft. The case is much stronger that John Kerry himself would do so. Military conscription was abolished more than 30 years ago by Richard Nixon (yes, that’s right) after a six-year campaign by Republicans to Read More ›

SEATTLE, OCT. 22 — “The most potent campaign rumor of the year is the web-induced claim that if re-elected Bush President will reinstitute the draft,” says Bruce Chapman, president of the Discovery Institute and a pioneer in the 1960s movement to institute an all-volunteer military. “It’s potent, but it is also false.” “Whether the Kerry camp originated the story or simply Read More ›

This war is full of surprises. And among the strangest so far has been the reaction to President Bush’s decision to establish military tribunals to try certain terrorist suspects. To our knowledge, none have so far been held. Procedures are still being worked out by a Defense Department that regards the assignment with considerably less than total enthusiasm. Only suspects Read More ›