Remember when Kerry asked: And what of the cost of the Iraqi operation?

[ProSense]

Senator John F. Kerry Floor Statement -- October 2, 2003

Snip...

And what of the cost of the Iraqi operation?

In the fall of 2002, OMB chief Mitch Daniels told us the costs of Iraq would cost between $50 and $60 billion.

In January of this year, Secretary Rumsfeld said the same, and he added that “How much of that would be the U.S. burden, and how much would be other countries, is an open question.” Today, we have a pretty good idea of the answer to that question: the majority is going to be the American taxpayers’ burden.

In March of this year, Deputy Secretary Wolfowitz testified in the Senate that Iraq is a “country that can really finance its own reconstruction, and relatively soon.”

Again in March, Secretary Powell testified in the Senate that “Iraq will not require the sorts of foreign assistance Afghanistan will continue to require.”

And when Larry Lindsey predicted the war may cost $100 billion to $200 billion, he was deemed to be so off base by the White House that he was fired.

Now a year later, Congress is set to appropriate over $160 billion, and costs are estimated to rise to $350 billion to $400 billion over five years. Even Mr. Lindsey’s estimate seems low.

more...

http://kerry.senate.gov/v3/cfm/record.cfm?id=212683&

Today:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2845804&mesg_id=2845804