The smartest and most effective way free up money for these financial 'rescues' is to exit Iraq

[bigtree]

. . . the sooner the better.

I'm surprised there's not more talk about this from the Obama transition. That was one of the main points in Mr. Obama's closing arguments during the campaign; that we were paying for things there while the Iraqi government was sitting on a surplus.

That's also an argument against any further mission for our troops in Iraq as the talk from the transition team has been recently. The heir apparent to Gates' position at the Pentagon was quoted as predicting as many as 50,000 'residual' troops remaining to do Cheney knows what.

When we do get the call that the withdrawal is underway and substantial, that's when the U.S. economy will start looking forward and up - but not until then.

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. All the Iraq money has been off the books /"supplemental"/ "borrowed".

If Iraq goes away it just goes away, there isn't leftover money unless Iraq starts paying us back.

[bigtree]

3. there's money going out every month

what's already appropriated for future spending would be halted

[The_Casual_Observer]

4. You assume they would just start borrowing that money for another

purpose. Unless it's a "national security" purpose it isn't by any means a seamless transfer.

[bigtree]

5. of course they'll borrow money for something else

hopefully it won't be for more militarism. But, most of the strain on the federal budget, outside of the debt, is coming from Pentagon expenditures.

[dmallind]

2. Very true

The speed of Iraqi exit should be limited only by the obligations webhave to ensure the safety of our folks and those who helped us. The costs of that boondoggle are vastly underestimated most often. Nobody remembers to include contractors and increased maintenance, repair and so on. We would still have an army of course an no doubt a high defense budget, but we need not have Blackwater mercenaries and $20 a gallon halliburton gas.

[riqster]

6. Obama will likely not talk about this until he has some better numbers

...as others have noted, nobody knows how much we are spending there, so Obama can't know how much will come available as we withdraw.