I wanted to make sure I posted this over here. I always knew Iraq was going to get hosed, I just didn't think it would happen so soon after all Mr. Bush's "stay the course" rhetoric. You've got to feel sorry for the Iraqis. Once Mr. Bush went in, it was clear they were going to get royally screwed- only I think a few Iraqis bought the Bush bull. I'm wondering how long it will take them to figure out they're going to get to keep their broken country- and the US has no intention of really "fixing" it. I know the great humanitarians in this country are never going to figure out just how badly we've screwed Iraq, but I'm wondering how long it takes for all the Iraqis (and not just the religious fanatics, the Sunnis and the xenophobes) to get well and truly pissed off.
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today's papers
Reconstruction Taper
By Jay Dixit
Posted Monday, Jan. 2, 2006, at 5:24 AM ET
The Washington Post's top non-local article reports that the U.S. will not seek new funds for Iraq's reconstruction.
The Bush administration's decision not to seek new funds in its congressional budget request next month signals the winding down of the rebuilding effort in Iraq, says the WP. Less than 20 percent remains of an $18.4 billion rebuilding effort. Half was spent on the insurgency, the criminal-justice system, and the trial of Saddam Hussein. Billions that were initially supposed to go to rebuilding Iraq's decrepit infrastructure went to new security forces and maximum-security prisons and detention centers. Bringing reliable electrical, water, sewage, and sanitation services to Iraq will require tens of billions yet, but, as one brigadier general put it, "The U.S. never intended to completely rebuild Iraq."
Article URL: slate.com |
