The Issues, No. 46 - I Wonder

Although I'm not a fan of the war in Iraq, I am puzzled by the figures our politicians and others bandy about when talking about how much it costs. Lately I've been hearing $10 billion per month and I know that's a lot but I wonder what it actually means.

Here's where I have a problem. If the majority of the forces we have deployed in Iraq are forces that, if we weren't having a war, were stationed at military installations in the U.S. or other places in the world, shouldn't "they" subtract the monthly cost for those units from the $10 billion dollar figure? And doesn't that cost include wages, benefits, food, clothing, housing, tanks, rifles, trucks, jeeps, and all of the other equipment the troops have with them that they would also have with them wherever they are? I'm sure some of the $10 billion is extra because there are extra troops in Iraq beyond the peacetime troop levels and there are extra costs associated with deployments overseas, but to imply that the war in Iraq is costing us $10 billion extra every month is incomprehensible and maybe irresponsible too.

I suspect the $10 billion figure is a figure used, primarily by politicians, the anti-Bush and anti-war media, and other individuals who are opposed to the Iraq war as one justification for ending the war as soon as possible and/or to discredit the Bush administration. I guess that kind of thing is done all the time but I don't particularly like it when our politicians and our media are irresponsibly stretching the truth to further their own interests.

I think the war in Iraq is a serious matter for the men and women who are serving there and for their families and they deserve the truth and the respect of all of us. The truth may have been stretched in order to convince Congress to get us into the Iraq war but let's not compound the situation by stretching the truth to get us out by telling our troops how expensive they are and how their mission there is such a financial burden on the country. That is just plain disrespectful. We need our politicians, whatever party they belong to, and our media to be honest and truthful about what is going on and to show us all, and particularly the men and women of our armed forces, the respect we and they deserve.