Poor Planning, Need for New Equipment Could Push War Costs to $1 Trillion

[ProSense]

The One Certainty About Iraq: Spiralling Costs for Americans

Poor Planning, Need for New Equipment Could Push War Costs to $1 Trillion

By KEITH GARVIN

April 20, 2006 — There are many uncertainties about the progress made by coalition forces and the future prospects for stability and democracy in Iraq, but there is at least one indisputable fact: The Bush administration vastly underestimated the costs of the Iraq war.

Not only in human lives, but in monetary terms as well, the costs of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq far exceed the administration's initial projection of a $50 billion tab. While the number of American casualties in Iraq has declined this year, the amount of money spent to fight the war and rebuild the country has spiralled upward.

The price is expected to almost double after lawmakers return to Capitol Hill next week when the Senate takes up a record $106.5 billion emergency spending bill that includes $72.4 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The House passed a $92 billion version of the bill last month that included $68 billion in war funding. That comes on top of $50 billion already allocated for the war this fiscal year.

Poor Planning Could Push War Costs to $1 Trillion

ABC analyst Tony Cordesman, who also holds the Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, says the exorbitant costs come down to poor planning.

"When the administration submitted its original budget for the Iraq war, it didn't provide money for continuing the war this year or any other. We could end up spending up to $1 trillion in supplemental budgets for this war."

more...

http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=1866779&page=1&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312

http://www.johnkerry.com/action/deadline/?sc=e.20060418

[GodlessBiker]

1. To think what $1 trillion could have done here.

[MadMaddie]

2. The truth is that this administration thought that the invasion and

occupation would be 6 weeks or 6 months....they had no need to plan for ....just in case....

If they cannot plan for possible outcomes of a war they started....do you honestly think they have planned for any of their disasterous policies they are pushing on the American people....Social Security....Katrina....Taxes....

America is in trouble...

[Sinti]

6. They don't care, they don't have to pay for it.

They're shopping with your credit card, and your children's credit card, and their children's.

[ixion]

3. gee, it makes me so happy to know that this is where my tax dollars are

going... NOT! :grr:

[ktlyon]

4. can we send George the bill?

we can let him put it on his credit card and pay 22% interest

[gratuitous]

5. In addition to poor planning and need for equipment

Don't forget to add in graft, profiteering and outright theft. Iraq is currently pumping hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil a day, but there's no record of where it's going, who's receiving it, and how it's all being paid for. With crude prices topping $70 a barrel, that's quite a large chunk of free-floating change wandering around out there. And nobody knows where it's going. Interesting to think about, no? And by "interesting" I mean "should make your blood boil because you know damn well what's happening to that money."