Draft dialectic underway.(INSIDE REPORT)

A nationwide opinion poll conducted by Ipsos on behalf of the Associated Press revealed that a solid majority of Americans oppose a return to military conscription. A majority of adults also would not encourage their own children to enlist in the volunteer military. Noted a June 25 AP story, "older Americans and Republicans were most likely to say [a return to the draft is] a good idea."

Recruitment continues to plummet, with all branches of the military entering the fifth consecutive month of enlistment shortfalls. "It's getting harder because of the influencers who are discouraging young people from simply acquiring information" about the Army, complains Major General Michael Rochelle, head of recruitment for the U.S. Army. "Influencers not wanting recruiters to call, not wanting recruiters to sit down and talk."

Or, more likely, "influencers" pointing out to potential recruits that whatever inducements a recruiter might offer in terms of bonuses and financial aid for college, the road to those rewards includes a lengthy detour through Iraq. This reality led Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), chairman of a Senate subcommittee on military personnel, to suggest that it is the war itself, not the military, that needs a PR makeover: "We should assume there are going to be 100,000 troops in Iraq two years from now, and continuing losses. It is time to repackage this war and let Americans know we are fighting for freedom." But the fact remains that American youth, quite understandably, are not itching to ...