Obama and McCain on Drafting Women

I heard about this issue driving in to work, and for once, and probably the only time, I come down on the side of Senator Obama, at least partially. The Democratic presidential nominee has come out in favor of having women register for selective service, better known as the draft. The Republican nominee, Senator John McCain, opposes the idea. Obama would also consider allowing women in combat positions. McCain would not. I agree with tapping the labor pool of women, but not with putting them into combat positions.

Obama's national security spokeswomen Wendy Morigi is quoted as saying, "Women are already serving in combat [in Iraq and Afghanistan] and the current policy should be updated to reflect realities on the ground. Barack Obama would consult with military commanders to review the constraints that remain."

The McCain campaign's statement focused primarily on the draft itself: "Sen. McCain strongly believes that an all-volunteer force is preferable to a conscripted force. The tools available to recruiters have historically enabled the all-volunteer force to attract sufficient numbers of qualified recruits."

Personally, I understand the need for a draft system, because we cannot fully anticipate the manpower requirements that may be generated by a national emergency. Having a list of age appropriate candidates seems to be a good idea, but only if the draft were enacted to prevent the destruction of the nation.

As for having women register, that's probably not a bad idea. There are tons of positions that could be filled by women in a national emergency that would not require putting them in combat. And each position that is filled by a woman is a position that does not have to be filled by a man who could fill a combat role. So I guess I would agree with Senator Obama in that women should register and be subject to the draft, but with a caveat that details which positions they would then fill in the event of a national emergency.

Opponents of putting women in combat roles generally focus on the differences between men and women, primary physiological differences.

I think Obama's idea has merit if the Selective Service system is revamped to include more than just military service. There is no reason, especially given the strain on our armed forces right now, that able bodied women could not be called upon to fill critical non-combat roles in the event of a national emergency.