“In some people’s minds, war is fine as long as someone else is fighting it,” Glickman said.

But Rangel hopes to confront that idea head-on with his proposal for a broader draft.

“There’s no question in my mind that every time this comes up, I cannot but help think of my son,” he said.

Rangel is no stranger to war.

He served in Korea from 1948 to 1952, for which he was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star. He said that to even discuss war, the issue of sacrifice must be considered.

“When you talk about war, you have to talk to me about sacrifice,” he said.

Rangel said that his draft proposal was not just in opposition to war, but also to raise the issue of universal national service.

The representative rejected the idea that his draft proposal is strictly a race issue, citing Sen. Ernest Hollings’ (D-S.C.) co-sponsorship of the draft—but Rangel did not hesitate to say his proposal was about class.

“Am I raising the class issue?” he said. “You bet your life I am.”

At the question-and-answer session after the speech, one student brought up a perennial attack on Rangel’s plan—that for many of his poorer friends, going into the military was the best option.

Rangel said the country should be addressing that issue with social programs—not with military service.

“Your folks deserve better than that,” he said.

The View from Harvard

Liberal students on campus received Rangel’s proposal with mixed reviews.

R. Gerard McGeary ’04, president of the Harvard College Democrats, said yesterday he personally agrees with Rangel that war must be approached with caution.