World War III

John McCain's answer that it would take an "all-out World War III" before the country instituted conscription was meant to reassure people that it wouldn't happen. But as Faiz Shakir notes, McCain has flirted with the idea that we're in a third world war right now.

Comments

This is going to get him in trouble with the Podhoretz faction. They think we're on World War VIII or something.

Posted by southpaw | June 25, 2008 1:59 PM

I remember the "World War" being an oft repeated phrase of the neo-conservatives for a while there. Bush brought it up, and Norm Pud-horetz wrote
"World War IV: The Long Struggle against Islamofascism." Now we find that McCain jumped into the shallow end of the gene pool.

Hammerheads, every one of 'em.

Posted by LFC | June 25, 2008 2:02 PM

Oooh, scary. So if McCain wins, he'll try to bring back the draft.

Really, Matthew, your endless attempts at McCain "gotchas" are getting more and more ridiculous.

Posted by Mixner | June 25, 2008 2:08 PM

As long as they get away with "Stop loss" why the hell institute a draft? Once the Depression kicks in hard so many of the poor will be desperate for 3 meals and a roof recruiters will find their jobs easier. Toss in some NSA operatives dropping a bridge somewhere and the uber-patriot xenophobes will join in droves, hoping to launch a new Crusade. The manpower situation will take care of itself considering what the next few years hold in store for the nation.

Posted by steve duncan | June 25, 2008 2:09 PM

WWIII was vs. the Soviets (Cold War). WWIV was originally going to be vs. China, but China was bumped down the list after 9/11. WWIV is vs. Islamofascism. China will probably be WWV.

The tricky part is figuring out what comes after that. Meddling in Latin America is always popular among right-wingers, so maybe that'll be the venue for WWVI.

Oh, crap, I forgot about Russia. With their newfound oil/gas wealth, and consequent increased ability to thumb their noses at the West, it's possible WWV may be a rematch of WWIII, in which case China gets bumped again to WWVI and anything in Latin America would have to get postponed to WWVII.

Posted by J | June 25, 2008 2:15 PM

It's funny when Matt forgets things he's already written about.

In fact, Senator McCain has indicated that not only would he like to unleash the U.S. military on substantial portions of the rest of the world, as president, he would work to militarize American society. In a 2001 article in the Washington Monthly, after lamenting that it was “not currently politically practical to revive the draft,” McCain went on to praise and argue for the expansion of the National Civilian Community Corps, a federally-administered program where volunteers “wear uniforms, work in teams, learn public speaking skills, and gather together for daily calisthenics, often in highly public places such as in front of city hall.”

McCain glowed at the fact that the participants “not only wear uniforms and work in teams…but actually live together in barracks on former military bases.”

To be clear, I don't think McCain would actually bring back the draft. But I do think that the reason he wouldn't is because he's constrained by politics, not because he actually dislikes the idea of conscription.

Posted by southpaw | June 25, 2008 2:36 PM

The words I quoted above are from a Justin Logan piece published by the Cato Institute. Here's McCain's ode to national service in the Washington Monthly.

We should also be concerned by the growing gap between our nation's military and civilian cultures. While the volunteer military has been successful, fewer Americans know and appreciate the sacrifices and contributions of their fellow citizens who serve in uniform. The military is suffering severe recruitment problems.

In the past, it has been a rite of passage for our nation's leaders to serve in the armed forces. Today, fewer and fewer of my congressional colleagues know from experience the realities of military life. The decline of the citizen-soldier is not healthy for a democracy. While it is not currently politically practical to revive the draft, it is important to find better incentives and opportunities for more young Americans to choose service in the military, if not for a career, then at least for a limited period of time.
[. . .]
Success, wealth, celebrity gained and kept for private interest---these are small things. They make us comfortable, ease the way for our children, and purchase a fleeting regard for our lives, but not the self-respect that, in the end, matters most. Sacrifice for a cause greater than self-interest, however, and you invest your life with the eminence of that cause.

Americans did not fight and win World War II as discrete individuals. Their brave and determined energies were mobilized and empowered by a national government headed by democratically elected leaders. That is how a free society remains free and achieves greatness. National service is a crucial means of making our patriotism real, to the benefit of both ourselves and our country.

To my mind, there's nothing wrong with any of that; it's just not the sort of thing you'd be likely to write if you were personally opposed to conscription. As Matt said, "[McCain] appears to regard the self-sacrifice of the military man not as admirable because it helps protect and sustain a liberal society at home, but because it's actually preferable to have people's lives organized around regimentation, comformity, and sacrifice."

Posted by southpaw | June 25, 2008 2:52 PM

"To my mind, there's nothing wrong with any of that"

There's plenty wrong with it, as Matt's sentence you quote last shows.

It's called "Hitler Youth."

McCain likes the military because he was an OFFICER in that military - with a daddy who was even higher up on the food chain.

If he was a grunt in the Army - specifically a DRAFTED grunt - he'd be less enthusiastic.

Anybody who talks about coerced "national service" is a fucking slaver. Nothing more or less.

Posted by Richard Steven Hack | June 25, 2008 6:33 PM