About.com military expert Rod Powers responds to innuendo by Democrats, including Johns Kerry and Edwards, about a possible draft under President Bush, saying, “Here we go again…”

I found this passage particularly instructive:

One of the programs that Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry has expounded on, indicating that (under a Bush presidency) a draft is necessary, is the use of “Stop Loss.” When “Stop Loss” is in effect, members of the military are not allowed to separate or retire, during the period of the “Stop Loss.” “They have effectively used a stop-loss policy as a backdoor draft,” Kerry said.

I’ve got news for the good senator — Stop Loss has been going on now for 14 years. It was first widely used by President Bush (senior) during the first Gulf War. Stop Loss was extensively implemented by President Clinton for both Bosnia and Kosovo. Bush (junior) implemented it for Afghanistan and Iraq. The “Stop Loss” in effect today is the minimum ever implemented. It affects a soldier only if he or she has been notified of an upcoming deployment. In other words, if a soldier is told he/she is scheduled to deploy, then he/she cannot separate or retire until after the deployment is complete.

Read the whole thing. Earlier draft-related stuff here.