I’m delighted to see Rich teaming up with Bill Kristol to argue for more troops in Baghdad.

The first thing I said after 9/11 was that we need more troops. Before we went into Iraq, I repeatedly argued that the army was too small. I still believe that, and I certainly think that the Iraq experience proves it. The limited size of our military (in comparison to its Cold War strength) also helps assure Iran that a land invasion from the United States is impossible. Even without planning such an invasion, just having the sort of army that could pull one off might have deterred Iran from its nuclear plans.

Secretary Rumsfeld is a serious barrier here. But the truth is, Rumsfeld is responding to political constraints. An expanded military would not be a cure-all for the challenges of the war on terror, but it would make a huge positive difference. Yet here, more than in any other area, America’s internal political divisions constrain us. Even without a draft, the sort of spending it would take to expand the volunteer military is politically impossible in the current environment. And if Republicans make the mistake of sitting on their hands and effectively elevating Nancy Pelosi to the position of Speaker, we may even see efforts to cut back on military spending.