The..."war on terror" - relabelled The Long War in the Pentagon...?!?"

[Up2Late]

When did that happen? I guess I didn't get the "Talking Point memo."

The Guardian article below is new, but this subject no longer qualifies as LBN, but their are some shocking revelations in it that the American MSM avoided mentioning, so I thought I'd post it here:

Cost of wars soars to $440bn for US

· 20% increase in spending despite cut in troop levels
· Outlay will soon equal 13-year fight in Vietnam :hi:

Julian Borger in Washington
Saturday February 4, 2006
The Guardian

The Bush administration has said it is planning to spend $120bn (£68bn) on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars this year, bringing their total cost so far to $440bn. The spending request, which will soon be presented to Congress, marks a 20% increase over last year, despite plans to draw down US troop levels in both war zones in the coming months. The administration also plans to ask for a downpayment of $50bn on war costs next year. The requests are expected to pass easily.

The spending on the Iraq conflict alone is now approaching the cost of the Korean war, about $330bn in today's dollars. Meanwhile the cost of the overall "war on terror" - relabelled The Long War in the Pentagon - is already close to half a trillion dollars, and will soon equal that of the 13-year Vietnam war.

"There is some reason to be surprised that it's this much," said Steven Kosiak, a military spending analyst at the Centre for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments in Washington. "The Congressional Budget Office had estimated the defence department would need $85bn and that was with no drawdown in troops." A White House budget official, Joel Kaplan, said that some of the extra spending would go towards keeping military equipment going in the desert, to accelerate training of Iraqi forces, and to give US troops better protection against roadside bombs. The budget request did not include reconstruction spending.

The defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, once predicted that the Iraq war would cost $50bn. George Bush's former economic adviser, Lawrence Lindsey, was forced to resign for being alarmist after predicting in 2002 that the Iraq war could cost up to $200bn. Even before the new supplemental requests, spending on the conflict in Iraq has reached $250bn.

(more at link below)

<http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,1702037,00.html?gusrc=rss>

[Warren Stupidity]

1. Yeah I noticed that too.

It least it is a halfway step toward reality. If they re-label it the Oil Wars I think we can assume that there is a serious faction in the Pentagon that has just plain had it with The Cabal.

[spindrifter]

2. How are we getting to a

20% increase when we are cutting back on troops? Why is this type of wild spending viewed as "easily" passing Congress? This doesn't include reconstruction costs, because they are not asking for any appreciable amount. Almost all of the spending described is contract money. Who is going to be maintaining the equipment in the desert? Who will be providing better protection from IED's? Who will be operating those training sessions for Iraqis? Could it be all of those war profiteer names we know so well?

[Up2Late]

3. kick n/t

:kick:

[Up2Late]

4. kick n/t

:kick: