Word: draft
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...noticed the defendamerica posting, but it pinged around the Web and eventually helped create one of the most dubious e-mail phenomena since ads for penis enhancement: the rumor that if he is re-elected, President Bush plans to reinstate the draft...
Democrats, who are no doubt thrilled when reporters call about the draft, say it's a legitimate issue. "The Administration is using the military in a way that may make reinstating the draft necessary in the future," says Jim Jordan, a former Kerry campaign manager. He notes that "it's exactly the kind of issue that gooses base turnout...
...President has repeatedly said he favors an all- volunteer military, as does John Kerry. But that hasn't dissuaded a loose-knit coterie of online conspiracists, antiwar activists and Democratic Party operatives from keeping the draft rumor alive...
...bills led to the formation of a website called stopthedraftnow.com and they inspired a largely fallacious, prodigiously forwarded e-mail claiming that the White House was fighting for the bills and that "$28 million has been added to the 2004 Selective Service System budget to prepare for a draft." In fact the entire SSS budget is just $26 million, and the system estimates it would need $600 million to oversee a national draft. When Republicans finally brought Rangel's bill to a vote last week, it lost...
...then the rumor had plodded from chat rooms to the mainstream, especially on college campuses. This fall the University of Minnesota's Daily ran an editorial concluding that "re-electing Bush might very well lead to a draft." The National Annenberg Election Survey released last week found that 51% of 18-to-29-year-olds believe that the President wants a draft, in contrast to just 8% who think Kerry does. Kerry surrogates Howard Dean, Max Cleland and Michael Moore have all stoked draft fears. Democratic Iowa Senator Tom Harkin told the Des Moines Register this month that the White...