Iraq to US - You Owe Us 1 Billion Dollars

One billion dollars seems to be the damage done to Baghdad by the U. S. invasion. Of course we are going to have the last laugh. Ben Bernanke and his cohort at The Fed, will print one billion more worthless dollars and ship them to Iraq. Net cost to us? Zero. The bills are worthless anyway.

The Problem with a Two Front War

The only thing we learn from history is that we do not learn from history. One would think the powers that be in the Administration might have known enough not to start a two front war (on terror). Now we are without enough troops to prosecute both fronts. A classic mistake that destroyed the Germans.

540 Billion and Counting

I believe Paul Wolfowitz said that $250 billion for the Iraq war was "wildy inaccurate." He was sure right about that.

From the article: Before the war, White House economic adviser Lawrence Lindsay estimated the cost at $100 to $200 billion. So the White House got rid of him and "re-estimated" the cost at $50 to $60 billion. It's now over $500 billion.

Iraq Corrupt? (Shock Alert)

Here is some shocking news. Iraq is full of corruption and the Bush Administration is hiding it! I cannot believe it...okay, I can believe it. Iraq is going to go down in history as the mother of all corruption episodes in U. S. history. We are blowing money there at an astounding rate. At least someone is getting rich there - just not the U.S.

Rumsfeld Tries to Blame the Generals

I have a lot of respect for General Sanchez and I suspect this conversation he had with Secretary Rumsfeld and his interpretation of why it took place is completely accurate. Doesn't reflect too kindly on the good Secretary.

More Unintended Consequences of the Iraq War

The plight of women in Iraq...

SecDef Hammers the Air Force

Wow. Some pretty blunt words from the Secretary of Defense. On the other hand, he is the SecDef. Why doesn't he just order them to do this?

15 Billion a Month!

One latest estimate for the (mis)adventures in Iran and Afghanistan. Talk about vaporizing money...

Another Analysis of Iraq

I suppose it comes as no surprise that I'm still pessimistic on the outcome of the Iraq War. Nothing has changed politically. We're still burning through 2 billion dollars a week! All sides of the issue know we're not going to be there forever. What is going on now is a chess match while everyone prepares for the inevitable US draw down. This analysis is mostly a rehash of old news, except at the end where he talks about the Kurds. Worth the read just for that. As I've always said, the most wildly optimistic outcome would be for an orderly division of the country into three parts. This will not happen. Iraq is a failed state and will be for the forseeable future. Oh...and did I mention that the Christian community that has been there since almost the time of Christ has been decimated? More timely news about the Kurds and Kirkuk can be found here. A six month delay of the vote regarding Kirkuk's future is good, but it's hard to imagine any resolution that will satisfy all sides. Meanwhile, everyone gears up (militarily) for the inevitable confrontation.

82nd Airborne vs. Al Qaeda

The American Spectator's cover story for November.

Iraq War as Financial Rat Hole

We hear this morning that President Bush has request 200 billion dollars toward the Iraq War for 2008 alone!! Wasn't it Paul Wolfowitz who claimed that cost estimates for the entire war of 350 billion were "wildly overestimated." Nice planning guys. We continue to blunder down the path Paul Johnson described in The Decline and Fall of the Great Powers.

A Good Iraq Analysis

This article is as good an analysis on Iraq as I've read. I do find it interesting that the Bush Administration is railing against Iran for supporting the Shias but doesn't even mention Saudi support for the Sunnis, that's fair and balanced for you.
George Will weighs in here. He concludes his comments this way: What "forced" America to go to war in 2003 -- the "gathering danger" of weapons of mass destruction -- was fictitious. That is one reason why this war will not be fought, at least not by Americans, to the bitter end. The end of the war will, however, be bitter for Americans.

Money Gun On Full Auto

We read this morning that the money gun is on full auto in regards to the Iraq debacle, which I've argued will be the most long-lasting effect of the Iraq war (see The Decline and Fall of the Great Powers). The Pentagon has a $460 billion dollar budget for fiscal 2008. Add to that $147 billion which is off budget for Iraq and Afghanistan and now add another $50 billion on top of that for a total of almost $200 billion off budget for next year alone!?! and the neocons said an estimate of $300 billion for the whole war was "wildly off the mark." I guess they were correct on that point. The point is that, like great powers who have come and gone before us, we are slowly bankrupting ourselves by over stretching our military.

Three Generations of Buffoonery in the Middle East

Jon Stewart on the Daily Show points out the...er...convoluted mess our Middle East policy has been.

Bush and the Lessons of Vietnam

I can't even believe I agree with a New York Times editorial. Now that is really scary. They comment on Bush's "lessons learned" from Vietnam and sad to say, they are correct. Do I need to point out that Bush's comments did not point out any way to "win" in Vietnam (because there was no way to win)? The aftermath of Vietnam would have been the same had we not pulled out, just postponed, much like Iraq will surely be.

Iraqi Government in Crisis

More bad news from Iraq.

One Sad Story of the US Government Abandoning Those Who Have Aided Them

This is a very disgusting and sad story. Read through the whole thing and see how the very people who have aided us in Iraq at great personal sacrifice are being purposely excluded from safe haven in the United States. In essence we are telling Iraqi translators who have helped us, "thanks for your service, now stay in Iraq and be killed!" Unbelievable.

Paving the way for Bush war #3

The way you garner enough support for attacking Iran is by claiming they are behind attacks in Iraq (without actually producing the evidence). And have you noticed how all of the sudden every attack in Iraq is made by Al Qaeda in Iraq? This is a conscious ploy to try to turn public opinion into greater support for the Iraq war.

Slouching Towards War #3

We've got a war in Afghanistan, we've got a war in Iraq, and we are rapidly slouching towards a war with Iran. Debka files traces the build up of carrier battle groups in the Persian Gulf. You don't bring this kind of manpower (3 carrier battle groups) together if you do not plan to use them!

More Damning Abu Ghraib Evidence

I cannot say I am surprised at this new evidence. The investigating general (a man of honor and character) now gives evidence of how Secretary Rumsfeld obfuscated before Congress. This statement is particularly strong, “The whole idea that Rumsfeld projects—‘We’re here to protect the nation from terrorism’—is an oxymoron,” Taguba said. “He and his aides have abused their offices and have no idea of the values and high standards that are expected of them. And they’ve dragged a lot of officers with them.” Sad.