There was an op-ed article in The New York Times that I thought was worth a second look. The author, Paul Kane, says that we must be prepared for a massive confrontation with Iran. He points out that both President Franklin Roosevelt and President Reagan used strategy and psychological toughness in their efforts to deal with crisis situations.

Kane proposes a selective service reinstatement under a lottery without any deferments.

The message will go to Iran: we mean business. The message to outside powers like Russia and China: we're not kidding about this. And the message to Americans: we are all in this together, all citizens, no elites with special dispensation. We are a nation of equals, ready to look reality squarely in the eye.

President Bush could carry this off by Presidential order. His ratings are already so low, and he is a lame duck, so he has little to lose. If he and the U.S. are perceived as a threat to peace, let's use that perception as leverage in this coming clash with Iran.

The signal to Iranians will be that the cost of the clandestine nuclear program will be heavy in terms of lives, treasure and prestige. Not only must Iran be denied nuclear weapons, but also Iran must effect a regime change.

If a military clash is inevitable, let us at least be ready for it with a national selective service for all young males and females, no exemptions. After 9/11, Americans were not asked to make sacrifices for their country; instead, they were told to keep shopping to prop up the economy. Now is the time to assert the national will, not fumble our opportunity to avoid war with Iran.

What do you think?