President Bush’s veterans affairs secretary suggested yesterday that he supports a resumption of a military draft, but quickly retreated from his statements as the White House made clear it rejects the idea.

When asked at an appearance with Mayor Bloomberg in Queens whether the country should bring back the draft to ensure that Americans are treated equally, the secretary, Jim Nicholson, answered by highlighting the positives of a draft. He said it “does bring people from all quarters of our society together.”

“I think if we bring back the draft. there should be no loopholes for anybody who happens to be drafted,” he said. “If it’s a random system, it ought to be an honestly random system. And if drafted, they should come in and do service or have, possibly, an alternative way of doing other public service for a period of time.”

He added: “And, I think our society would benefit from that, yes, sir.”

Mr. Nicholson, a Vietnam veteran, was appointed by Mr. Bush in 2005. Hours after speaking, and after a story ran on the Associated Press wire, Mr. Nicholson issued a statement saying he was misunderstood.

“Today, some comments I made about my experiences in Vietnam during that war may have been misconstrued,” Mr. Nicholson said. “Let me be clear, I strongly support the all-volunteer military and do not support returning to a draft.”

A spokeswoman for the White House, Jeanie Mano, responded by saying that “the administration is not considering reinstating the draft.” She said she did not know whether anyone from the White House had talked to Mr. Nicholson about his comments.

Mr. Nicholson spoke as he and Mr. Bloomberg were announcing a new partnership to combat homelessness among veterans. The two said the city and federal Department of Veterans Affairs are forming a 23-member joint task force that will meet and report back in 100 days with a plan to stamp out chronic homelessness among veterans.

Mr. Bloomberg also announced an immediate 100-day campaign to get 100 homeless war veterans into permanent housing. The first three veterans moved yesterday from the Salvation Army shelter in Queens, where residents sleep in a communal space on narrow cots.

“Everyone of these veterans have a story and each has fallen on hard times for different reasons,” Mr. Bloomberg, who has a goal of reducing overall homeless by two-thirds by 2009, said. “But they all deserve better.”

Mr. Bloomberg said the city would start by finding the veterans at the Queens’ shelter housing. Veterans Affairs has agreed to provide additional health care, mental health services, and substance abuse treatments for eligible veterans once they move. The city will also be sending teams of people out onto the streets to find homeless veterans and bring them into shelters. According to the mayor, veterans make up 10% of the city’s street homeless population.

A spokesman for Mr. Bloomberg, Stuart Loeser, said the mayor is not taking a position on the draft. “The mayor doesn’t take a position on every single federal issue.” Mr. Loeser said. “He takes on issues where it matters for mayors, and where his experience gives him insight to inform the national debate. The draft is not one of those issues.”