PETERBOROUGH, N.H.– Republican presidential candidate Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) said Sunday that “it is nuts” to make women register for a possible future military draft.
Cruz responded to his rivals, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, and Governor Chris Christie, who all said Saturday evening at the presidential debate that they would support a federal requirement women to register alongside young men for “Selective Service.” Once registered, they could be drafted during a national emergency.
“It was striking that three different people on that stage came out in support of drafting women into combat in the military,” Cruz said. “I didn’t have an opportunity to respond to that particular question, but I have to admit as I was sitting there listening to that conversation, my reaction was, ‘Are you guys nuts?'”
Cruz assured the audience at the town hall that he would not force women to register for a potential draft.
Listen, we have had enough with political correctness, especially in the military. Political correctness is dangerous. And the idea that we would draft our daughters to forcibly bring them into the military and put them in close combat, I think is wrong. It is immoral and if I’m president we ain’t doing it.
“The idea that their government would forcibly put them in a foxhole with a 220-pound [enemy] psychopath trying to kill them doesn’t make any sense at all,” he said.