I see the need for a draft to ensure that a trigger-happy president and Congress don't overextend us in a dangerous world to fulfill commitments that should never have been made.

What did the study -- "the first scholarly effort to assess the accuracy of such predictions about the impact of DADT repeal on military readiness" -- show?

At both conventions, political leaders took to the stage with everyday Americans who, for various reasons, put their support behind one candidate or the other. But we didn't hear from anyone like Jessica Hinves, who was raped while serving in the military.

Since Republicans have decided to count words, the New York Times just happens to have kept track of how often speakers at both conventions used certain words and phrases. Some of the numbers are interesting.

The large body of available evidence tells us that the economic and employment effects of military spending cuts are not relevant for policy choices, will not be significant in any event, and a reduction in defense outlays in fact may yield substantial benefits to the economy over the long run.

President Barack Obama accepted the nomination of the Democratic Party with a humble, values-oriented appeal to the voters who elected him in 2008.

President Obama doesn't like to talk about how he uses drones to kill suspected militants -- including American citizens. Explanations about who gets ...

The Republican Party's nominee to become commander-in-chief, "[i]n an almost 45-minute speech...didn't find a moment to mention Afghanistan...With no new plans and evasion about his real plans, Mitt Romney leaves this convention no stronger than he came," according to CNN.

The current expansion of U.S. special forces to conduct covert and proxy warfare sacrifices U.S. long term interests in peace, stability and the rule of law for short-term political gain, just as when U.S. "advisers" were sent to Vietnam.

Current campaign rhetoric mostly ignores the military anyway -- at home and abroad -- including the hundreds of thousands of us who have a husband, wife, father or mother, a child or sibling in a combat zone. In America's longest war, military service has become multi-generational.

We can only hope that the next election will give the winner some top cover to get out of Afghanistan sooner than later. Nothing is going to change for the better, no matter how long we stay.