I've got a working theory. At first blush it sounds a bit far fetched. But the more I think about it the more sense it makes.

The way I figure it, the Obama administration is on the path to reinstating the draft.

I know it sounds a bit kooky, but hear me out. I see a bunch of puzzle pieces, and depending on how they are assembled, it could be so. Granted they are mostly anecdotal, but here are the pieces I see.

Military Recruiting - I have a good friend who is a National Guard recruiter here in Georgia. He tells me that over the last few months the military has drastically increased the standards needed to enlist. When I asked if they were cutting back, he said, "That's exactly what they are doing."

I was an officer in the Navy a long time ago so I know that the standards required to join the military change depending on "the needs of the service." When they are short and need lots of recruits, they loosen the standards. When they are reducing the size of the military, they raise the minimum qualifications required on everything including education, physical health, standardized test scores, and minor run ins with the law.

The standards are going up now and the military is being more selective because they need fewer recruits.

Training and Readiness - Another friend of mine is an Army helicopter pilot. He was excited this past weekend because he flew. For the first time in over 10 months. It had been so long since he'd been in the air that the Army had to send him to some simulators in Alabama recently so he could get current enough to get back in the cockpit. He was hopeful he'd get to fly again sometime this week. Maybe.

That the Army can't afford enough flight hours to keep its pilots current, especially helicopter pilots that are slated to rotate to a war zone in a few months, doesn't bode well for their overall readiness.

Weapons Cutbacks - I saw this story over on Fox News today that the Secretary of Defense is calling for cutbacks in major weapons systems.

These three things seem to indicate that the military is about to be asked to do more with less. Again.

But that is nothing unusual for the military. And it certainly isn't enough to see the draft coming around the corner. There are a few more puzzle pieces, however.

Democrats for the Draft - The last three times bills to reinstate the draft have been submitted to Congress it has been Democrats, led by New York Congressman Charlie Rangel, doing the submitting. In the last Presidential campaign it was Democrats, including now President Obama who expressed support for "universal national service" including service in the military, although the bill heading to his desk does not mention the military.

Homosexual Military Service - There is currently a push underway to legitimize homosexual behavior in the military. I was serving back when President Clinton was sworn in and said he was going to open the military for homosexual service. Congress objected and the so called "don't ask, don't tell" policy came out of that hubbub.

Prior to that the matter was considered covered by the Uniform Code of Military Justice which made sodomy illegal. In fact it still does. Here is how the relevant UCMJ article reads today.

925. ART. 125. SODOMY

(a) Any person subject to this chapter who engages in unnatural carnal copulation with another person of the same or opposite sex or with an animal is guilty of sodomy. Penetration , however slight, is sufficient to complete the offense.

(b) Any person found guilty of sodomy shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.

Congress wants to change that. Over 1,000 retired Flag and General officers have signed a letter in favor of not changing the law. Obama will likely agree with Congress, though, because...

It's all about Fairness - From what I have seen so far from President Obama, one of his overriding values is "fairness". Of course he means fair by his own definition, mind you.

Because if some people make more money than others it's unfair and they should be taxed more. Never mind that they work hard, produce value for the economy, and are paid a lot of money as a result.

If talk radio is lopsided with conservative voices then we need, um, a fairness doctrine to set it right. Never mind that liberal talk radio chronically fails miserably to get any decent ratings.

It's not fair that homosexuals are not allowed to flaunt their behavior in the military. Never mind what the military has to say about how it will affect readiness, morale and combat effectiveness.

Besides bringing the draft back will kill two birds with one stone.

The draft will compensate for the fall off in volunteers that will likely happen as a result of the lower morale, etc.

Not only that but the draft will get rid of the current "unfair" system of only having those who are willing join the military. Giving everyone the same random chance of going into the military is much more fair than only taking those who are willing.

Never mind that unwilling soldiers won't be as effective. So far "effective" doesn't seem to be a high value of the Obama administration anyway.