Costs for Iraq war approach record - Pissing away more than $2 billion a week

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.khaleejtimes.ae/DisplayArticleNew.asp?col=§ion=theworld&xfile=data/theworld/2006/December/theworld_December507.xml

WASHINGTON - US costs for the Iraq war will exceed $110 billion this fiscal year, approaching the record reached in the prior fiscal year, a top White House official said on Tuesday.

That amounts to more than $2 billion a week spent on the war.

White House budget director Rob Portman, speaking at a round-table with reporters, also predicted that strong revenue growth would help bring down the overall US budget deficit, offsetting some of the spending on Iraq.

Asked if he thought the deficit for fiscal year 2007, which began Oct. 1, would come in below the forecast of $339 billion the White House gave in its mid-year budget snapshot in July, Portman replied, “Yes, I do.”

The White House previously had pencilled in an estimate of $110 billion for Iraq war costs in the 2007 fiscal year.

“That number will end up being low,” Portman said.

[whistle]

1. Military contractors are holding their piss buckets out

[SammyWinstonJack]

2. Here is what I don't get. These loyal rank and file repubs who couldn't care less

about their own fellow Americans, (Hurricane Katrina victims) and who hate the government wasting their tax dollars on social welfare, don't raise one objection too the absolute greed of this occupation of Iraq and the trillions of dollars that will ultimately be spent there. The money isn't going to support the troops and it isn't going to rebuild Iraq and it isn't going to help Iraqis, it is going to the war profiteers and they and we all know that. One would think that would piss off the greed ridden and pull yourself up by your own bootstraps crowd? :shrug: It staggers the imagination! They need to ask themselves this question, would they put up with this, out of a Democratic President? :silly:

[DaveJ]

3. There are no "rank and file repubs" left...

Only a few that are still pulled in by the propaganda aimed at anti-abortionists and skinheads.

As far as the mess in Iraq goes... that's another story... the headlines can't be believed.