Margolis: Bush's war is a financial disaster

[Sticky]

Toronto Sun - March 14, 2004

-Snip-

Occupying Iraq costs $9 billion monthly.

Pre-war neo-con plans to finance the occupation by plundering Iraq's oil have been frustrated by sabotage. Congress estimates the overall cost of "pacifying" and "rebuilding" Iraq for fiscal 2003 and 2004 at a staggering $200 billion.

This money will have to be borrowed by the empty treasury, which, thanks to Bush's reckless "war" spending, is running huge deficits heading toward $400 billion, risking an explosion of inflation that threatens to undermine the long-term bond market and further weaken the dollar.

The human cost of the war continues to rise. As of this writing, U.S. losses amount to 555 dead, and about 9,000 casualties from combat, accidents and serious illnesses.

Ten thousand Iraqi civilians were estimated to have been killed by U.S. forces - in a war now described as waged under "mistaken intelligence assumptions."

Iraqi military casualties are 6,000-10,000.

Iraq lies in ruins. "Rebuilding Iraq" means paying for all the damage caused by massive U.S. bombing and years of sanctions.

http://www.canoe.ca/Columnists/margolis_mar14.html

[Bonhomme Richard]

1. Not a very encouraging article.

How many administrations are going to have to pay for the mistake these bastards made.
In the meantime our local schools have to cut funding for basic student programs due to the lack of revenue. This is crazy and I see no end to it.

[Sticky]

2. Awareness

Do the American people have any clue at all that these are the numbers?

When bush came out last year and asked for $87B people started to ask questions....even rebel. John Kerry should pounce on this.

[Bonhomme Richard]

4. I am afraid that the majority of Americans not only ......

don't have a clue but sadly do not really care to know. They need to be shown how it affects them personally in the pocketbook. That they care about.
Disheartening I know.

[bemildred]

3. Yes! He keeps his streak alive ... nt

[reprehensor]

5. *bump* n/t

[gula]

6. Important. Please read the whole article!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[teryang]

7. Margolis gets it

This is what so many DUers discussed months and months before the invasion took place.

Maybe 35 years from now we could watch, condiliesa on a rostrum at Harvard acknowledging her deadly errors during this regime like Robert McNamara.