As college students, the possibility of the president reinstating the draft makes many of us nervous.

Luckily, we're not the only ones. If the current administration were to reinstate a draft, whether to send troops to Iraq or elsewhere, the decision would cost President George W. Bush his presidency. That means that at least for the next year, we need not worry.

However, if the situations in Iraq and Afghanistan do not change and if another war is declared somewhere else — whether because of an attack on American soil, terrorism or oil — another war and a draft to staff it could be necessary in the mind of our president.

It is unrealistic to say that a draft will never be needed and that the potential for a draft ended with the Vietnam War. This is clear from the mere fact that all men in our country are required to register for selective services at the age of 18.

But there is a fatal flaw in the reasoning behind ever requiring a draft in the first place. The government should not support a cause so unpopular that they must force the American people to get involved.

When Americans are forced to participate in a war or other endeavors, it is clear that the will of the people is not behind the action.

People will often support a cause like war only if they won't be the ones going away to accomplish the mission. The thinking behind this is backward and inconsiderate. Before we take on a cause as important and potentially devastating as a war, we must first be convinced as a nation that we are willing to work on it ourselves. To ask anything less of the American people is to require them to act undemocratically.

Although forcing participation would be unfortunate, there are some potential benefits of this action. If any war had the potential to affect every American through the draft, then as a country we would be less apathetic to every cause. Everyone would care more about the issues, because everyone would be directly affected.

If, when deciding whether a war is necessary, Americans had to consider sending their own sons and daughters to fight, they would be less likely to support war without convincing evidence.

Although ending apathy is important, forced involvement and certain danger are a high price to pay to get Americans thinking more seriously.

When studying the draft and its relevance to America today, we must also consider the role of women. According to the Selective Service System Web site, it's justifiable that women have not been drafted, because they are excluded from the front lines of war. The Web site does, however, explain that the Selective Service would be capable of drafting women if the government provided the money and orders.

The Web site also states that a draft is not necessary. However, should a draft ever be reinstated, we feel that men and women should be treated equally.

The traditional reason for keeping women out of warfare, such as women's inferiority, is outdated and has been disproved, because technology has made it so that men and women are on equal physical footing.

The draft is not in the interest of the American people. It forces us to get involved in issues in which we do not want to participate. The United States should not justify fighting for a cause without the popular support of both American men and women.