Yesterday I posted a blog entry that could be misconstrued. A Locker Room reader who emailed me prompted a clarification that I think might be important to share with others. I consider neither Bush nor Edwards draft dodgers. They both pursued paths that were perfectly legal. Real draft dodgers have always been considered outside the law. As usual the left has twisted the meaning. But Edwards’ situation is clearly different from Bush’s. By the time Edwards turned 18, 1971, they had instituted a lottery system and Edwards drew a very high number. But it really didn’t matter because by 1972, which was his lottery year, they had stopped drafting anyone. Since I am a libertarian and against the draft on principle I have to admit that I have more sympathy for Bush, even though I was personally in the same situation as Edwards–he and I are the same age. Unlike Edwards or I, Bush had a gun to his head, either be coerced into the armed forces for a 2 year hitch or “volunteer” for an easier and in all likelihood less dangerous 6 year hitch in the Guard. Neither Edwards nor I were faced with this. We were free to pursue our college educations, our careers, our lives, unmolested in this way. In this sense Bush was indeed a victim of the draft while neither Edwards nor I were.