Cooking the Books on Cost of War

White House Cuts Estimate of Cost of War With Iraq
By ELISABETH BUMILLER

WASHINGTON, Dec. 30 � The administration's top budget official estimated today that the cost of a war with Iraq could be in the range of $50 billion to $60 billion, a figure that is well below earlier estimates from White House officials.

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Mr. Daniels would not provide specific costs for either a long or a short military campaign against Saddam Hussein. But he said that the administration was budgeting for both, and that earlier estimates of $100 billion to $200 billion in Iraq war costs by Lawrence B. Lindsey, Mr. Bush's former chief economic adviser, were too high.
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Mr. Daniels declined to explain how budget officials had reached the $50 billion to $60 billion range for war costs, or why it was less in current dollars than the 43-day gulf war in 1991. He also declined to specify how much had been budgeted for munitions and troops.

www.nytimes.com...

Putting out these bargain basement numbers does serve the purpose of making things look some what more appealing......but does anyone actually think it would escape scrutiny? The lack of accounting for obvious costs? The lack of accounting for clean up or post war costs?
Calling all focus to this war effort in Iraq and then assuming that private and Congressional folks are NOT going to run the numbers is just damn arrogant.

It is a shame that some people put the monetary cost of the war above the just reasons for going to war. If the US people had thought of the cost of WWII then Europe would be speaking German and Asia, Japanese.
This is a weak attempt BT to discredit George Dubya.

Next....

War is expensive,nothing new. The reason out weighs the cost.And maybe it will be over quick,keeping costs down.

Nice copy-n-paste BT. Those people who think it's just about the oil are probably the same ones worrying about the cost. Based on their argument - we're sure to see a return on the investment, right?

In all seriousness: Has war ever been cost-effective?

If you're really concerned BT, go buy some Patriot Bonds! I have - LOL.


[Edited on 31-12-2002 by Bob88]

You three boys taks as an assumption that there is a just cause for our demolition of Iraq, which there isn't. You also fail to see that it's a political exercise that goes against, in almost all of it's probable outcomes, the express pupose of why a state goes to war....protection of the citizenry & homeland.
Based on the black hole we're in economically, it's an extremely relevant question to be concerned about cost, since the direct effect will be further movement towards a depression under the protracted war scenario. You also forget that we need the customers for our goods.......not counting on the backlash is also foolhardy.
The weak attempt, which you and others fail at miserably yet keep throwing up with hope, is to compare Iraq with Nazi Germany and how it will have 'grave ramifications' should we take a metered approach. PLEASE, that's such utter bullshyyt!

That they lie to your face and mine, and you still swallow your propaganda and ask for more, is some sad stuff boys.
Bobb - I thought we couldn't paste whole articles? Hence, the relevant papragraphs.
I guess the folks with kids of age to be killed in Mr. Bush's little war are more aware of when his Chief Economic Advisor quotes numbers and WON'T SAY HOW THOSE CAME ABOUT, huh?

Mmmm hmmmmmmm yeah........ which reminds me of how this forum exists in the relms of freedom of speech...... Isn't it grand!?!?!?! Having a voice is awesome eh!!! Being able to have an opinion, agree and disagree or just agree that there's a lot of bovine scatology going on!!! LOL

I still detect a slight hint of "hey, if you don't agree with me you're brainwashed" syndrome......... what was the topic here?!?!? LOL What?!?! Cook books......... How to Serve Man?!?!

I wondered if the reworking of the numbers was just propaganda.

I wondered if Bush had gotten an Arthur Anderson accountant doing the books for him.

No, I'm not buying the White House announcement. I'll stick with what the military advisors have said. Shrub the Stupid is going to devastate the economy to satisfy his testosterone level.

Climb off your testosterone kicking horse, woman.

I think this is a necessary war, if it isn't condusted now, it'll be conducted at a later and more expensive date, and probably after Saddam has seen toit that terrorists have killed many innocents with NBC material. I, for one, do not want my family to die from the horrors of a chemical or biological agent.

But the fact remains that this endeavor, no matter how necessary it is, is going to be a terribly expensive one, and that fact needs to be kept in mind, considering how much money gets thrown away in the form of other pork projects and politically correct agendas.