Draft Shenanigans

I'm not sure whether this is funny or just sad. Democrat Charles Rangel introduced a bill reinstating the draft as an anti-war publicity stunt. The presence of this bill has fed paranoid rumors about the return of the draft, which have hurt the Republicans. So the GOP decided to settle the issue by bringing the bill to the floor and voting it down. And yet Rangel has the gall to say:

"It is so darn hypocritical for the Congress to come forward and put a [controversial] bill on the suspension calendar," Rangel said. "It's a shame that ... this legislative body is being used as a political tool on the eve of elections."

The "suspension calendar" is a part of Congress's agenda where they vote on uncontroversial issues like renaming post offices. The draft bill seems to fit fine there, since it failed 402 to 2, including a "no" vote by Rangel himself. If you make a point of voting against your own bill, it's pretty clear that somebody is using the legislature as a political tool, but I don't think it's the GOP.