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Politics : American Presidential Politics and foreign affairs -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: TimF who wrote (26355)	2/24/2008 3:03:22 AM
From: DuckTapeSunroof	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 71588

Re: " We haven't spent a trillion dollars on military operations in Iraq." Correct. Not in real time expenditure. Not yet. (Iraq War / occupation plus Afghanistan has run around $600 Billion... thus far.) However, there are a number of deferred, yet inescapable, costs that are already 'baked in' to the eventual totals and that will take final costs at very least up to the Trillion dollar mark. Since the entire enterprise has been run on borrowed funds (adding to federal deficits, and directly to the national debt), the INTEREST COSTS on those Treasury bonds will be accruing for many years yet... and, quite a number of other areas will see the inescapable requirement for federal spending as well. (Some for generations yet.) The costs of dealing with the medical care for America's war wounded from this war (partly because, as opposed to past conflicts, many more of the most severely wounded have been saved by advances in front line care and transport), will at least match, possibly exceed the Veterans' medical expenses from the Vietnam era, just as the direct Iraq War/Occupation costs have themselves recently matched the direct costs from the much larger Vietnam War.... And, of course, great damage has been done to our military's equipment (war damage, wear and tear in the desert environment prematurely wearing-out equipment, etc.)... all of which will need replacement. GAO and CBO, as well as several other organizations have already reported that (having directly spent near $600 Billion already), even if we were to completely withdraw this very year... that next $400 Billion or so - taking final costs up to the Trillion dollar level - are already baked in. Then again... there are more intangible costs --- such as the cost of the much higher oil prices our economy must pay --- that can also be directly attributed, in large part, to the war.