Wars in Afghanistan, Iraq to Cost U.S. Over Four Trillion Dollars

[eridani]

http://www.nationofchange.org/wars-afghanistan-iraq-cost-us-over-4-trillion-1392732855

In March 2013, the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government issued a report on the costs of America’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Presently, these conflicts, which America has been fighting for over a decade, have totaled approximately $2 trillion in war debt.

This figure includes direct outlays for America’s three main military operations:

•Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) - The official name for America’s war in Afghanistan.
•Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) - The official name for America’s war in Iraq (which some may remember by its original title: Operation Iraqi Liberation, or OIL).
•Operation New Dawn (OND) - The official title for America’s war in Iraq under President Obama’s command (2010 to present).
These operations were implemented under the umbrella of America’s Global War on Terror. In 2006, President George W. Bush would tell CNBC that the war on terror was nothing less than “the first counter-attack to World War III.”

That counter-attack, or World War III, continues through the present day, twelve years after the first and only attack on America’s home soil since the turn of the century. In that time, America has financed its $2 trillion war mainly by borrowing from foreign lenders. It has in fact only paid $260 billion of that so far, which is merely the interest accrued on our debt.

Yet the ultimate costs of America’s wars in the Middle East will accumulate long after they have officially ended. Medical care and disability benefits will be due to their veterans for a generation to come, damaged equipment will need to be replaced, and Obama has promised to build a “Strategic Partnership” with Afghanistan. This will likely include American management of its police and military forces.

All told, Harvard calculates that the price tag for these conflicts will double and potentially triple. That means $4 trillion at its most conservative and $6 trillion at its highest.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/07/25/weekinreview/25marsh.html?_r=0

[chrisstopher]

1. THANK you GW

Now the Republicans want to blame President Obama for the mess we're in and still want to lower taxes.

[bvar22]

5. He couldn't have done it without the active support of the Conservative Democrats,

...including Hillary.

[font size=4]The Democratic Party Honor Roll[/font]

These Democrats should be remembered for their principled stand against the WAR Machine.
They voted "NO" on the Authorization to Use Military Force in Iraq.
Bush was unable to "fool" them.
They had the intelligence and integrity to see through the Republican Lies,
and were unafraid to take a STAND.


United States Senate

In the Senate, the 21 Democrats, one Republican and one Independent courageously voted their consciences in 2002 against the War in Iraq :

Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii)
Jeff Bingaman (D-New Mexico)
Barbara Boxer (D-California)
Robert Byrd (D-West Virginia)
Kent Conrad (D-North Dakota)
Jon Corzine (D-New Jersey)
Mark Dayton (D-Minnesota)
Dick Durbin (D-Illinois)
Russ Feingold (D-Wisconsin)
Bob Graham (D-Florida)
Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii)
Jim Jeffords (I-Vermont)
Ted Kennedy (D-Massachusetts)
Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont)
Carl Levin (D-Michigan)
Barbara Mikulski (D-Maryland)
Patty Murray (D-Washington)
Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island)
Paul Sarbanes (D-Maryland)
Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan)
The late Paul Wellstone (D-Minnesota)
Ron Wyden (D-Oregon)

Lincoln Chaffee (R-Rhode Island)


United States House of Representatives

Six House Republicans and one independent joined 126 Democratic members of the House of Represenatives:

Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii)
Tom Allen (D-Maine)
Joe Baca (D-California)
Brian Baird (D-Washington DC)
John Baldacci (D-Maine, now governor of Maine)
Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin)
Xavier Becerra (D-California)
Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon)
David Bonior (D-Michigan, retired from office)
Robert Brady (D-Pennsylvania)
Corinne Brown (D-Florida)
Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio)
Lois Capps (D-California)
Michael Capuano (D-Massachusetts)
Benjamin Cardin (D-Maryland)
Julia Carson (D-Indiana)
William Clay, Jr. (D-Missouri)
Eva Clayton (D-North Carolina, retired from office)
James Clyburn (D-South Carolina)
Gary Condit (D-California, retired from office)
John Conyers, Jr. (D-Michigan)
Jerry Costello (D-Illinois)
William Coyne (D-Pennsylvania, retired from office)
Elijah Cummings (D-Maryland)
Susan Davis (D-California)
Danny Davis (D-Illinois)
Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon)
Diana DeGette (D-Colorado)
Bill Delahunt (D-Massachusetts)
Rosa DeLauro (D-Connecticut)
John Dingell (D-Michigan)
Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas)
Mike Doyle (D-Pennsylvania)
Anna Eshoo (D-California)
Lane Evans (D-Illinois)
Sam Farr (D-California)
Chaka Fattah (D-Pennsylvania)
Bob Filner (D-California)
Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts)
Charles Gonzalez (D-Texas)
Luis Gutierrez (D-Illinois)
Alice Hastings (D-Florida)
Earl Hilliard (D-Alabama, retired from office)
Maurice Hinchey (D-New York)
Ruben Hinojosa (D-Texas)
Rush Holt (D-New Jersey)
Mike Honda (D-California)
Darlene Hooley (D-Oregon)
Inslee
Jackson (Il.)
Jackson-Lee (TX)
Johnson, E.B.
Jones (OH)
Kaptur
Kildee
Kilpatrick
Kleczka
Kucinich
LaFalce
Langevin
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Lee
Levin
Lewis (GA)
Lipinski
Lofgren
Maloney (CT)
Matsui
McCarthy (MO)
McCollum
McDermott
McGovern
McKinney
Meek (FL)
Meeks (NY)
Menendez
Millender-McDonald
Miller
Mollohan
Moran (Va)
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal
Oberstar
Obey
Olver
Owens
Pallone
Pastor
Payne
Pelosi
Price (NC)
Rahall
Rangel
Reyes
Rivers
Rodriguez
Roybal-Allard
Rush
Sabo
Sanchez
Sanders
Sawyer
Schakowsky
Scott
Serrano
Slaughter
Snyder
Solis
Stark
Strickland
Stupak
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Tierney
Towns
Udall (NM)
Udall (CO)
Velazquez
Visclosky
Waters
Watson
Watt
Woolsey
Wu

Kudos to the above DEMOCRATS,
and apologies for the loss of formatting.

[Martin Eden]

8. Thanks for posting that list.

The old rage isn't as bad when I see the names of those who voted against war in Iraq rather than for it.

[rhett o rick]

9. We need to continue to thank them. One of my Senators is on the list.

I am sending her an email immediately, thanking for her courage for standing up against the neo-cons.

[ladjf]

2. Also thousands of Americans and hundreds of thousands Iraqis were killed.

Good move Bush, Cheney, Rumsfield, Rice and all those in Congress that allowed them to do it.

[TBF]

3. Well that explains where much

of the money in this country goes.

[bvar22]

4. Well, at least NOW we are safe from Terror!

Oh Wait.
No we aren't.
My bad.
The $4 TRILLION was wasted.


In fact, more people in the Middle East hate us today
than before we spent the $4 TRILLION.
We should have just dropped $100 Dollar Bills and Sat TVs on them
instead of bombs.
It would have been cheaper,
and more effective.

[Martin Eden]

6. Yeah, but look at all the benefits from those wars ...

... if you own stock in Halliburton.

[KansDem]

12. Just today: "Halliburton Stock Hits New High On Strong Q1 Earnings"

The North America drop was offset by a 13% surge in Q1 sales and earnings in the Middle East-Asia region on strong growth of oil rig cementing, drilling and open-hole wiring, he said.

--more--
http://news.investors.com/business/042114-697736-halliburton-sales-profit-top-amid-global-expansion.htm?ref=HPLNews

Mind if I join you?

[spanone]

7. and they blame the deficit on President Obama....

fuck them all

[Danascot]

10. Ah, the good old days ...

Paul Wolfowitz - "largely "self-financing"
Andrew Natsios - "no more than $1.7 billion"
Lawrence Lindsey - fired by Bush for saying "it could be as much as $200 billion"

[DirkGently]

11. Money that trickled UPWARD.

Defense contractors, private security (cough BLACKWATER) outfits, etc.

Note the deafening silence from Republicans on the waste of trillions that went to line their donors' pockets.


But apparently they found a surfer on Fox supposedly buying lobster with food stamps, and we all should be outraged about the horrendous waste.

I mean, whose campaign is THAT guy going to fund?

[blkmusclmachine]

13. I'm sure you won't mind giving up (some of) your Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Unemployment,

Meals On Wheels, WIC food assistance, Head Start, infrastructure to help pay for the Billionaire Boys Club overseas follies.

[indepat]

14. 'pukes will gladly commit to ultimately spend $6 trillion for projects they want while, at

the same time, cutting food stamps and unemployment benefits. What a swell bunch of fellas and gals, especially Sarah, Michelle, and Masha.