Iraq War cost downplayed... could be in excess of $2 trillion

Originally posted by WestPoint23
Yeah I know, 4 years+ and no attacks on US soil, damn we really just wasted all that money for no reason.

This is false and inherently faulty logic used to deceptively gerrymander a thread into submission. It's simple minded to the point of being absurd. Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. The original attack on 9/11 was a fluke. A team of well organized men exploited a chink in our own internal armor, committed suicide, and killed 3000 Americans. As a result, we united the world and decimated the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Iraq was a misbegotten war of choice. A 2 trillion dollar war of choice.

Originally posted by WestPoint23
Yeah I know, 4 years+ and no attacks on US soil, damn we really just wasted all that money for no reason.

This just shows the story the people have bought, hook, line and sinker. WestPoint23, I KNOW you're a fairly intelligent person. I don't understand how you can connect the war in Iraq with terrorist attacks. But many do because that's the line that was fed to us.

I wonder what it feels like to just suck up the pablum that was fed to the public...

Oh, by the way, that $400,000 I spent on an elephant is keeping the zombies away, too.

The Iraq war has nothing to do with preventing a 9/11 type attack, it has everything to do with getting even with "them", the "rag-heads" even if those particular rag-heads had nothing to do with the 9/11 attack..there wasn't an attack in the 4+ years prior to 9/11 either..

Originally posted by WestPoint23

..

Yeah I know, 4 years+ and no attacks on US soil, damn we really just wasted all that money for no reason.

The reason why US hasnt had another attack major on home soil is two fold.

Massive improvements in homeland security.

The Iraq/Afghan War has attracted a huge amount of Insurgents and Terrorists to the Field of battle (exactly as intended) , if they wernt there fighting America on foreign soils they would be plotting ways to attack mainland America.

Originally posted by jajabinks
The Iraq war has nothing to do with preventing a 9/11 type attack, it has everything to do with getting even with "them", the "rag-heads" even if those particular rag-heads had nothing to do with the 9/11 attack..there wasn't an attack in the 4+ years prior to 9/11 either..

It is very clear that you are passionate about this topic. And I understand that the racial epithets were used to make a point. But you using them to make your point is no more acceptable than some one else using them to make any other point.

So please stop it now. Ok?

having had a week to read the report and seeing the three sets of estimates, from mega conservative to standard and excessive figures, I still find it pretty convincing... even the conservative figures (which have a sound methodology IMO) are too much...

Paper- follow the link

Q

[edit on 14-1-2006 by Qoelet]

Interesting how the figures just jumps to trillions of dollars!

I guess the casino can not launder that amount of money in short time. What is a Casino for if not to launder huge amounts of money. Let see who get's whacked.

You have the wrong people laundering all that money. You don't wash blood with blood, that is just illogical. What you need to do is spread out the pain to as many people as you can.

We can't let you suffer alone, let us help you dispose of all those bodies. Basically in layman's term. SPREAD THE LOVE.

I think all of you who are Interested will find the Following Article very INFOrmative - mister Joseph Stiglitz sure made his Homework - full lenght in .pdf format:

The Economic Cost of War in Iraq

Thanks Doc!

The Iraq/Afghan War has attracted a huge amount of Insurgents and Terrorists to the Field of battle (exactly as intended) , if they wernt there fighting America on foreign soils they would be plotting ways to attack mainland America.

how do you know this? id say that if the states never invaded afghanistan then the people currently being labled insurgents would be more focused on how their going to get their next meal rather than ploting how to get the number cruncher. i think that the matter of basic survival would take priority over how to inflict harm on some people who they dont care about whatsoever.

"If Bush had come to the American people with a request to spend several hundred billion dollars and several thousand American lives in order to bring democracy to Iraq, he would have been laughed out of court."

By noted political scientist Francis Fukuyama

Asia Times

To get an idea of the economic black hole the Iraq war could become, it is useful to remember some of the past estimates given by the administration of President George W Bush. Recall, for example, when then-White House economic adviser Lawrence Lindsey suggested in 2002, six months before the war, that the mission could cost $100 billion to $200 billion, Bush fired him because his estimate was up to three times the $70 billion the administration estimated.

Conservative columnist Paul Craig Robert wrote after the latest estimate: "Americans need to ask themselves if the White House is in competent hands when a $70 billion war becomes a $2 trillion war. Bush sold his war by understating its cost by a factor of 28.57. Any financial officer anywhere in the world whose project was 2,857% over budget would instantly be fired for utter incompetence."

From $70 Billion to $2+ Trillion?

Well that Certainly fits the Title - the Mother of all Budget Busters.

And also an Interesting Question, that mister Paul Craig Robert wrote.

People don't be so surprised about some believing that 9/11 was Iraq fault.

Here in the south is actually people that tells you the is true.

When you tell a lie over and over again you will always find the faithful that will actually agree with you.

So we are stopping Iraqis from doing another 9/11 again, after all it was Saddam's fault you know.

US is a wealthy nation of tax payer people (faithful tax payer people) so money is no a problem.