Personally, it's to guard the oil wells so nobody can light them ablaze. If oil wasn't there, we'd have gone home by now to let them rot.
Oil, heh. The same oil Bush once said would be used to pay for his thoughtless incursion. Yet he asks for $87 billion, only $20 bil of which will be used in Iraq. Looking at even half of that, Time magazine saw the fuzzy math:
the Time article http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101031006/ (then click on "Behind the Price"), you're not going to like this partial listing of Bush's continuing, costly, mistakes:
$1 BILLION
To train Iraqi police and fire fighters
The Complaint: The Administration fought a $200 million increase for America's police and fire fighters (my editorial: Bush, as usual, gives not a frick about Americans and his obvious fleecing here proves he's doing this for his business bedtime buddies. x( )
$400 MILLION
For two new jails
The Complaint: With a proposed 4,000 beds in each prison, the U.S. would be spending $50,000 per inmate. (my editorial: That's a lot of prisoners. Given how W likes to lay down the law, he'll probably need 5 million more beds... or maybe 10 million and ship a bunch of accused, 'guilty-before-proven-innocent-and-even-then' "enemy combatants" over there too... )
$100 MILLION
For a witness-protection program for 100 Iraqis and their families who would testify against former regime officials or suspected terrorists
The Complaint: The U.S. federal witness-protection program took in about 250 witnesses and their families last year at a total cost of $31.5 million (my editorial: More fleecing, didn't anybody in power bother to look this up for themselves? I mean, THAT'S THEIR JOB. Just like the Patriot Act, never read it either...)
$5.7 BILLION
On electricity, including $1 billion to rehabilitate and replace the power infrastructure over several years
The Complaint: Compare spending $255 on electricity generation for every Iraqi with 71¢ a person spent on federally funded electricity work here at home (my editorial: More fleecing, how much more obvious will Bush* get?!)
$2.1 BILLION
To import petroleum products and invest in oil infrastructure
The Complaint: It doesn't make sense for the world's second largest oil-producing country to import the stuff (my editorial: This one is sheer STUPIDITY. Of course, this is the W* regime at work and I bet his oil buds will profit from this needless exercise... )
$303 MILLION
To repair railroads and rehabilitate three major airports as well as the port of Umm Qasr near the Kuwaiti border
The Complaint: The port is already functioning (my editorial: If it's already functioning, then this $303 mil is more fleecing. )
$150 MILLION
For a new children's hospital in the southern city of Basra
The Complaint: The total cost could reach $700 million (my editorial: More typical Bush, what do you expect? )
$20 MILLION
For executive job training
The Complaint: A four-week management class would cost $10,000 a person (my editorial: Just like in the US, Iraq will have lots of well paid executives and underpaid people who do the frigging work. Time for us to UNITE... )
$1 MILLION
To build a museum documenting atrocities by Saddam Hussein
The Complaint: Is this really necessary? (my editorial: Propaganda-fest, pure and simple. Somehow, the museums they used to have containing artifacts of human history were far more relevant, and far more important. Indeed, when Bush allowed the old museums to be looted, he didn't order the troops to stand in to protect them - much like how he allowed nuclear facilities to go unguarded as well. In that aspect, I'm not blindly supportive of the troops, not when they're "just following orders" (from an "unimpeachable" source, no less though impeachment is the least he ought to get...). But I still want them to get fed and hospital care paid by the system, not by themselves like Bush has them doing. In this aspect, I strongly support the troops. Bush doesn't support anybody except his corporate friends. ) To be fair, the links go to Google search results. They had given SOME valid results at the time of writing, but the internet is never always the same...