View Full Version : Bush's Trillion Dollar Iraq War
And that's just the financial toll on the US.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/082306E.shtml
Where Bush's Arrogance Has Taken Us
An illegal war, a long list of eroded rights, and a country run by and for the benefit of corporate campaign donors - all courtesy of the imperial presidency.
* Number of Americans killed in Bush's Iraq war as of August 2006: 2577
* What Bush press flack Tony Snow said the day the total number of American dead reached 2,500: "It's a number"
* Number of Americans killed since Bush declared "Mission Accomplished" on May 1, 2003: 2,438
* Number of Americans wounded (a vague term that includes such horrors as brain damage, limb blasted off, eyes blown out, psyche shattered, etc.) in Bush's war:
o Official count: 18,777
o Independent count: up to 48,000
* Estimated number of Iraqi civilians (men, women, and children) killed in Bush's war since Saddam Hussein was ousted: 38,960
* For Iraqis, the bloodiest month of the war so far: June 2006
more than 100 civilians killed per day
* Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmit's advice to Iraqis who see TV reports of innocent civilians being killed by occupying troops: "Change the channel."
* Percent of Iraqis who want American troops to leave: 82
* Stockpiles of Weapons of Mass Destruction found in Iraq since Bush committed Americans to war in 2003 on the basis that Saddam had and was about to use WMDs: 0
* Number of nations in the world: 192
* Number that joined Bush's "Coalition of the Willing" (COW) to invade Iraq: 48
(The list includes such military powers as Angola, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Latvia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Romania, Solomon Islands, and Uganda.)
* Number of COW nations that actually sent any troops to Iraq: 39
(Of these, 32 sent fewer than 1,000 troops. Many sent no fighting units, deploying only engineers, trainers, humanitarian units, and other noncombat personnel.)
* Number of the 39 COW nations contributing troops that have since withdrawn them: 17
(An additional 7 have announced plans to withdraw all or part of their contingents this year.)
* Number of COW troops in Iraq: 150,000
* Number of these that are U.S. troops: 139,000
* Number of White House officials and cabinet members who have any of their immediate family in Bush's war: 0
Follow the Money
We're dealing with a country that can really finance its own reconstruction, and relatively soon."
-"Howling Paul" Wolfowitz, Deputy Defense Secretary, in testimony to Congress, March 2003
* The official White House claim before the invasion of what the war and occupation would cost U.S. taxpayers: $50 billion
* As of July 2006, the total amount appropriated by Congress for Bush's ongoing war and occupation: $295,634,921,248
* Current Pentagon spending per month in Iraq: $8 billion (or $185,185.19 per minute)
* Assuming all troops return home by 2010, the projected "real costs" for the war: More than $1 trillion
(includes veterans' pay and medical costs, interest on the billions Bush has borrowed to pay for his war, etc.)
The Imperial Presidency
"I'm the commander - see, I don't need to explain - I do not need to explain why I say things. That's the interesting thing about being the president. Maybe somebody needs to explain to me why they say something, but I don't feel like I owe anybody an explanation."
George W., August, 2002.
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Boogyman
08-24-2006, 15:23
Well said.
Metalhead
08-24-2006, 17:00
Free,I do support our troops and understand everything you posted but I do believe we need a presence in Iraq. Why? We all know how this war was presented to us at first, so it sounded legit. Fast foward through all the ugly statistics and withdraw the troops...now it is up for grabs to possibly be much worse. I guess this is where I'm at with this;damned if we do and damned if we don't. I like the idea of our boy's comming home but I also wouldn't want them to think they did it all for nothing. Should we stay in Iraq the objectives should be re-evaluated and mission. I'd like the idea of planting an American flag there and calling it ours', I think that would be a bigger message to any of these terrorist sympathizing middle east countries and the rest of the world.
10 out of the 11 "War on Terror" veterans who ran for congress this fall ran as Democrats.
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/08/22/paul-hackett-on-hardball-2/
Be sure to watch the Hardball excerpt.
Boogyman
08-24-2006, 18:38
Free,I do support our troops and understand everything you posted but I do believe we need a presence in Iraq. Why? We all know how this war was presented to us at first, so it sounded legit. Fast foward through all the ugly statistics and withdraw the troops...now it is up for grabs to possibly be much worse. I guess this is where I'm at with this;damned if we do and damned if we don't. I like the idea of our boy's comming home but I also wouldn't want them to think they did it all for nothing. Should we stay in Iraq the objectives should be re-evaluated and mission. I'd like the idea of planting an American flag there and calling it ours', I think that would be a bigger message to any of these terrorist sympathizing middle east countries and the rest of the world.
Metalhead, we had the same debate back then about Vietnam. It's not about whether our soldiers are dying in vain. t's about they are dying period.
When we pulled out of Vietnam, they finished their civil war without us, the North won, and the country stabilized. Now it's a great vacation spot.
The idea of planting our flag and calling it "ours" would send a message alright. That the U.S. is out to take over the world and eradicate Islam. You think there's been a huge increase in the number of terrorists since we invaded Iraq, wait and see what happens if we try "conquering" the middle east.
I think my B.S. meter just pegged out while reading the first post of this thread.
And that is the only comment worth making here
John
Thank you for that opinion.
that's a pretty comprehensive list there freesw, but you musta left out something. Lesee, how about killing babies? I didn't see that in there anywhere. C'mon, you can do better than that.
John S, ditto that. It's gettin' deep and smelly in here for sure.
that's a pretty comprehensive list there freesw, but you musta left out something. Lesee, how about killing babies? I didn't see that in there anywhere.
Well, since you mention it... there has been a lot of that, too, yes.
t's gettin' deep and smelly in here for sure.
The facts about Bush's ill-conceived war stink to high heaven.
I think my B.S. meter just pegged out while reading the first post of this thread.
And that is the only comment worth making here
John
Your "BS meter" needs to be re-calibrated.:rolleyes:
deguello
08-25-2006, 13:32
And that's just the financial toll on the US.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/082306E.shtml
Where Bush's Arrogance Has Taken Us
An illegal war, a long list of eroded rights, and a country run by and for the benefit of corporate campaign donors - all courtesy of the imperial presidency.
* Number of Americans killed in Bush's Iraq war as of August 2006: 2577
* What Bush press flack Tony Snow said the day the total number of American dead reached 2,500: "It's a number"
* Number of Americans killed since Bush declared "Mission Accomplished" on May 1, 2003: 2,438
* Number of Americans wounded (a vague term that includes such horrors as brain damage, limb blasted off, eyes blown out, psyche shattered, etc.) in Bush's war:
o Official count: 18,777
o Independent count: up to 48,000
* Estimated number of Iraqi civilians (men, women, and children) killed in Bush's war since Saddam Hussein was ousted: 38,960
* For Iraqis, the bloodiest month of the war so far: June 2006
more than 100 civilians killed per day
* Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmit's advice to Iraqis who see TV reports of innocent civilians being killed by occupying troops: "Change the channel."
* Percent of Iraqis who want American troops to leave: 82
* Stockpiles of Weapons of Mass Destruction found in Iraq since Bush committed Americans to war in 2003 on the basis that Saddam had and was about to use WMDs: 0
* Number of nations in the world: 192
* Number that joined Bush's "Coalition of the Willing" (COW) to invade Iraq: 48
(The list includes such military powers as Angola, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Latvia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Romania, Solomon Islands, and Uganda.)
* Number of COW nations that actually sent any troops to Iraq: 39
(Of these, 32 sent fewer than 1,000 troops. Many sent no fighting units, deploying only engineers, trainers, humanitarian units, and other noncombat personnel.)
* Number of the 39 COW nations contributing troops that have since withdrawn them: 17
(An additional 7 have announced plans to withdraw all or part of their contingents this year.)
* Number of COW troops in Iraq: 150,000
* Number of these that are U.S. troops: 139,000
* Number of White House officials and cabinet members who have any of their immediate family in Bush's war: 0
Follow the Money
We're dealing with a country that can really finance its own reconstruction, and relatively soon."
-"Howling Paul" Wolfowitz, Deputy Defense Secretary, in testimony to Congress, March 2003
* The official White House claim before the invasion of what the war and occupation would cost U.S. taxpayers: $50 billion
* As of July 2006, the total amount appropriated by Congress for Bush's ongoing war and occupation: $295,634,921,248
* Current Pentagon spending per month in Iraq: $8 billion (or $185,185.19 per minute)
* Assuming all troops return home by 2010, the projected "real costs" for the war: More than $1 trillion
(includes veterans' pay and medical costs, interest on the billions Bush has borrowed to pay for his war, etc.)
The Imperial Presidency
"I'm the commander - see, I don't need to explain - I do not need to explain why I say things. That's the interesting thing about being the president. Maybe somebody needs to explain to me why they say something, but I don't feel like I owe anybody an explanation."
George W., August, 2002.
...
more
...
much much more
...
OOOh! War's bad; it's expensive, people die, let's surrender to the Islamofascists and spend the money to buy Burkhas for our women,death camps for gays,jews, ans Christians, and on, welfare programs that liberals can use to buy votes. This is infantile really.How many trillions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of us lives did WW2cost? Freedom isn't free now anymore than it was inWW2. It's this kind of simpleminded appeasement tha Al Qaed is counting on to win this war. Deguello
This is infantile really.
Let's examine your post, Deguello, and then we'll decide who's being "infantile."
First, you write,
let's surrender to the Islamofascists and spend the money to buy Burkhas for our women,death camps for gays,jews, ans Christians, and on, welfare programs that liberals can use to buy votes.
It isn't a matter of spending money that would go elsewhere otherwise, Deguello, it's a matter of going into the deepest national debt in American history. And who ever advocated "surrender"? Go ahead, let's see it.
How many trillions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of us lives did WW2cost? Freedom isn't free now anymore than it was inWW2.
What, are you going to compare Iraq with Japan now? Go on, tell us how Iraq was this huge clear and present danger the way Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany were. You explain that.
It's this kind of simpleminded appeasement tha Al Qaed is counting on to win this war.
We know that Bin Laden wanted Bush to win in '04 - why else do you think he released a tape right before the election bashing Bush? Who's being simpleminded here, if you really believe Bin Laden wanted Kerry to win? The Bush administration policies are the best recruiting and fund raising tool Al Qaeda could ever have hoped for.
http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/247753p-212149c.html
See tape as boost for Prez
By Thomas M. DeFrank
With his typical flair for drama, Osama Bin Laden inserted himself directly into the presidential election yesterday, and both parties believed it would boost President Bush's reelection hopes.
Bin Laden popping up like a malignant jack-in-the-box four days before the balloting may bolster John Kerry's argument that Bush should have finished wiping out Al Qaeda before turning his attention to Iraq.
But it also refocused the nation on terrorism, which polls show helps Bush. And it reminds voters of their horror on Sept. 11 and Bush's well-received response, as well as obliterating the recent flood of bad news for Bush.
"We want people to think 'terrorism' for the last four days," said a Bush-Cheney campaign official. "And anything that raises the issue in people's minds is good for us."
A senior GOP strategist added, "anything that makes people nervous about their personal safety helps Bush."
He called it "a little gift," saying it helps the President but doesn't guarantee his reelection.
In the closing weeks of the campaign, Kerry has accused Bush of "letting Bin Laden escape" when he was cornered at Tora Bora by "outsourcing" the job to unreliable Afghan warlords instead of using U.S. troops. And he has mocked Bush for never mentioning the Al Qaeda leader after pledging to get Bin Laden "dead or alive."
But the new tape - which is so nakedly political that it should end with the words "I'm Osama Bin Laden and I approved this message" - makes it difficult for Kerry to keep hammering Bush on the subject without appearing to be capitalizing on terror. Kerry eliminated those lines from his speeches yesterday evening.
"If Kerry had been making this a bigger issue, as he should have been, it would definitely translate to his benefit," said a Democratic strategist with ties to the Kerry camp.
Kerry's staff looked somber.
"It's very important for us to move forward. We're going ahead and doing our events as we would," said spokesman Mike McCurry.
Originally published on October 30, 2004
What's simpleminded is to think Bin Laden didn't know and intend exactly what effect that tape would have on the election outcome.
Dutch Nick
08-25-2006, 15:04
Motorcycle maker JESSE JAMES has launched a scathing verbal attack on US President GEORGE W BUSH, calling the leader "a dickhead".
JAMES visited American soldiers outside Baghdad, Iraq - and is convinced the majority of the US military agree with him. James says, "Everyone in Iraq knows Bush is a dickhead.
For more photos (taken by American troops) of Jesse's visit to Iraq... see http://community.webshots.com/album/548189980DJdSYF
You may hate Jesse for calling Bush a "Dickhead", but the troops sure seem to like him.
stevekaw
08-25-2006, 21:47
At this point, my major problem is that I just can't see HOW we can "win" at this point...
I suspect that, at some point, whoever is President will just declare victory and the troops will come home. After that, the country will descend into even greater chaos until some faction comes out on top...
magnomark
08-26-2006, 10:11
jesse james does not impress me.His wife is nice to look at but that is all he has going for him from my perspective.And if he would look at himself in the mirror he might understand that he looks more like some kind of a circus freak with all of the tats.Of course with all of the patients from the asylum runing the country-maybe that's what the next president will look like also-especially if the press can influence it!:lol: ;) <_<
Boogyman
08-26-2006, 10:49
I don't like Jesse James much either, he strikes me as the A-hole "bully" type, with the pulled-down skull cap and tough talk. But I do think he's a straight-shooter to a point, and if he says most of the troops think Bush is a dickhead, then I'd have to say that even if he's half right, that's a pretty substantial percentage.
In the military, criticism of the Commander-in-Chief is not exactly popular with the officers, so if even a third of the enlisted men are calling Bush a dickhead, that means there's quite a few that just aren't saying.
Metalhead
08-26-2006, 17:17
Boogyman, points taken but to pull out now without stability still bother's me. The way I see this thing is that we're in it for the long haul, be it there, here or host allied countries. I believe in order for the U.S. to leave now we'd have to make sure we fulfilled our obligation to the innocent people of Iraq that promises were made to by leaving a stable govt. with a trained fighting force. I truly believe this is all slow going because how can someone phathom having rights and choices when they couldn't before? Most have to become accustomed to it and develope a new way of life (kinda like what happend in the soviet union when it became a "democracy"). I respect both sides of the issue and wish not another American life was ever lost in this or any future war...
Boogyman
08-26-2006, 18:28
Boogyman, points taken but to pull out now without stability still bother's me. The way I see this thing is that we're in it for the long haul, be it there, here or host allied countries. I believe in order for the U.S. to leave now we'd have to make sure we fulfilled our obligation to the innocent people of Iraq that promises were made to by leaving a stable govt. with a trained fighting force. I truly believe this is all slow going because how can someone phathom having rights and choices when they couldn't before? Most have to become accustomed to it and develope a new way of life (kinda like what happend in the soviet union when it became a "democracy"). I respect both sides of the issue and wish not another American life was ever lost in this or any future war...
Metalhead, It bothers me too. Of course it does. But about "fulfilling our obligations", haven't we already established a stable government (at least as stable as you could reasonably ask for under the circumstances) and also trained a fighting force (which is as strong as can be expected) ?
On top of that, I've already posted polls here before that show that the solid majority of Iraqis (over 65% easy) want the U.S. to withdraw from Iraq.
Now they are in a civil war (even the top military commanders admit that) which was not part of the bargain at all.
How can we justify keeping troops exposed in a country where they are being attacked from both sides by hostile forces that are imbedded in the civilian population, a population that wants us out?
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