7. Finally, but by no means least, we have "the forever war" on terrorism. Congress has approved the largest ever increase of some 40% in the Defense Budget to a mind boggling US$450 billion. This means that the US spends more than all the other countries in the world combined on its military. One may wonder what such expenditure might achieve if even a fraction of it were directed to such things as: US infrastructure including roads, railways, power stations, hospitals, and construction of better schools; or, medical research; development of new sources of energy; reducing the effects of pollution in the US; or if some was directed to alleviate world poverty and assist developing countries? The current Iraq war is little other than a debacle that has brought untold misery. Even worse, the ugly inheritance of Winston Churchill's policies has come back to haunt the citizens of Iraq with a fracticidal civil war now underway which is engulfing Sunni Muslims, Shi'ite Muslims and Kurds. In a nightmarish scenario, this war could well drag in Kuwait, Iran, Turkey, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Neither the US nor the UK has a clear exit strategy for Iraq. In fact, they are linked together in a mess that neither can extricate themselves from. The full consequences of this immense policy failure will become apparent over the coming months and years. Long will the Allies live to rue the day the got involved in Iraq. History will not judge Messrs Bush and Blair kindly. Eventually, the truth will out.
Good thing you didn't step in it.
good catch...
"One may wonder what such expenditure might achieve if even a fraction of it were directed to such things as: US infrastructure including roads, railways, power stations, hospitals, and construction of better schools; or, medical research"
Geeze, I hadn't noticed the Gubmint stopped doing all these things....
Interesting, to put it mildly.
The utter ruination of what otherwise might have a decent analysis.
That being said, I do think a heck of a lot of the money appropriated is being wasted .
I'm sorry to say, but the Defense Budget certainly isn't sufficient to even fund recapitalization of our strategic defense infrastructure: the Navy keeps shrinking, both surface, carrier, and submarine fleets, our nuclear aramements are vanishing unilaterally (and W did this all without debate or mandate...i.e., popular consent), and we can't seem to budget replacement of the F-15 in any serious quantity of F-22's to be bought.
But, to help countervail the "expense of the war" arguments of the GoldBugs, Liberal Appeasers, Democrat pacifists and so on, we really should be expecting the Iraqis to pay for this thing themselves. And lean hard on them. They have a moral obligation. They are RICH. It isn't like they aren't sitting on a mountain of black gold. They don't want us to leave...okay, fine...then hand over the rights to a set equivalent quantity of oil reserves in the undeveloped South of Iraq...and every month we stay...we charge an extra 5 percent of the fields output for 4 years, or whatever actually compensates us for our financial outlays to defend the secularists against the jihadists. We bury the lines from fields and make them sabotage resistant. The books balance, end of their argument. And the world then also knows we expect compensation if we have to rescue their sorry butts.
And no amount of oil really compensates for the blood of our patriots. So the "cause" better damn well be worth it...and that means we expect friends...not fair weather friends either. We don't want to see them rushing off to see our boys convicted, etc. E.g., They should be running down the Zarquawi agents who set up Haditha for example...rather than demanding 'justice' against our troops.