One has to think, if we don't help out in Taiwan with enough manpower, what is to.stop China from pushing towards Phillipines, surrounding out territories?
Those nation's own militaries, and China's own internal issues.
Even without the US or anyone else getting involved, no way the CCP takes Taiwan or any other nation, militarily without 3 Gorges and a lot of other critical bits eating a cruise missiles or suicide drone.
The weight and power regional navies and militaries have, versus depending on us when domestic politics may get in the way, the better.
I know history, I know the threat is there if China does something stupid, and that the public doesn't quite get it. But I also know how much of the public sees it, and that he elites who control things make more money and influence in grey zone/proxy fights than in actual full scale war.
As well, MAD wasn't around during the last world war, and as far as most of the public is concerned, war with China ends in MAD, so what's the point in worrying about conventional capabilities?
I mean I understand how the conventional forces keep the nuclear triad intact and functional, but I also under how most of this is rather esoteric knowledge not many average joes or janes consider or even know.
I do not say these things because I like the positions, but because I can see how the winds are blowing in multiple parts of the domestic side, and understand the disconnect between some types of military versus civie thinking.
I am trying to help you better understand the realities of the domestic side, and how that relates to the seeming foregone conclusion you have that we will engage in a conventional war with the CCP that will require a draft.
That is a conclusion that ignores the political and socio-econmic realities of the current US domestic situation, while also bypassing the question of 'how' you change said domestic political situation to make a draft politically acceptable to enough people for it to happen, all while trying to avoid ACW 2.0 if a draft is floated and is not popular with the public.
You also forget groups like BLM and other Woke groups are often partly funded by the CCP or proxies, and they wield enormous social power. The CCP got Disney and the NBA to fucking bend the knee, and have had their 'researcher/student' spies everywhere in this nation for years figuring out how we tick as a society.
Wake up and smell the suck; until you do, you won't be able to properly guage public perception, and understand why all the military training and exercises in the world do not change the domestic realities of why it unlikely a full scale war with China will happen as you claim.