WSJ: Armed Forces Seek to Enlist New Voters

[question everything]

Bush Is Seen to Have Edge Among Service Members, But Iraq Concerns May Boost Kerry

By CHRISTOPHER COOPER
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
August 23, 2004; Page A4

When U.S. Army Spc. Colby Buzzell's squad in Iraq was asked who wanted to vote this November, only one soldier raised his hand -- and he quickly lowered it when nobody followed suit, Spc. Buzzell recalls. The Army's response was swift. Soldiers were told to show up at formation at 8 a.m. the next day with ID cards and pens. At this mass muster of about 150 soldiers, an Army captain delivered a stirring defense of the Constitution, reminding soldiers of the responsibilities of citizenship and the benefits of the American way.

(snip)

The incident underscores the watchword of the 2004 presidential race: mobilization. With the big issues of war and economic anxiety on the table, political parties and affected constituencies are sparing little effort to register potential voters and assure their voices are heard. And no constituency is affected more by presidential policy than the 130,000 service personnel who constitute a sprawling precinct in Iraq.

Analysts have widely assumed that soldiers and reservists will side with President Bush, who has repeatedly invoked his solidarity with service members in well-received visits to military bases, to troops in Baghdad and, famously, to an aircraft-carrier deck. But some unease over the postwar occupation of Iraq suggests that Democratic nominee Sen. John Kerry might have his own following among the rank and file, even if the upper ranks remain a Republican redoubt.

Support for Mr. Kerry could be especially evident among the 160,000 or so National Guard and reserve forces who have been called up to supplement the regular Army in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many of these reservists have been tapped for duty more than once since the terrorist attacks of September 2001, and this "backdoor draft," as some call it, clearly has bred some resentment toward the incumbent.

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URL for this article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB109322266830198184,00.html

Write to Christopher Cooper at [e-mail]

[oasis]

1. I wonder how many of them know about PNAC. The backdoor draft

will be the Chimp's undoing.

[sniffa]

2. awesome

the rank and fiLe have "turned the corner" on bush. they hate him now, and that's coming from the officers mainLy, that i've heard.

[DUreader]

3. but how will their votes be counted?

could be awesome