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We weren't told about the North American Free Trade Union between Canada, the United States and Mexico. We weren't told about the North American trans highway, a multi-lane freeway from the southern border to the Canadian border. We were told that the Minutemen were vigilantes. We were told that Harriet Meyers was the best choice for the Supreme Court and we've been consistently assured that Iraq is going well. So sleep well tonight fellow Americans we're in good hands. W has good intentions.

Yes. And as time has marched on and the facts came forth on the condition of their oil/gas industry, sadly that idea was highly overstated.
It is going to take them a few years at best, assuming they got serious about rebuilding their oil infrastructure with the aid of foreign oil companies, and expanding their current port gross tonnage.
And this cannot be accomplished until the insurgency is put down. To many factors come into play. One cannot have foreign and domestic contruction workers getting killed going to work each day to build an increased oil drilling and refinery structure.
And what oil companies are willing to set up shop in the country at present. This has been an ongoing problem.
The Saddamist and other insurgent elements, e.g. al Qaeda composed of goon balls have attempted all along to destroy Iraq's capability to extract oil sell it, and refine it, and sell the fractions etc.. So along with the other big surprises such as a decrepted national power grid, not enough functional oil pipelines, defunct railroad systems etc., things have moved at a snails pace.
It is going to take years to rebuild Iraq with so much past negligence paid by the Saddam regime. Meanwhile, we have had to put huge amounts of effort and money into building new water treatment and distribution systems, hospitals, schools etc..
Iran was a total disaster prior to the invasion. Now we see only the well to do areas under direct control and allegence to Saddam had much of anything.

Bush is being urged to give up to $10 billion (£5.1 billion) to Iraq as part of a “New Deal” that would create work for unemployed Iraqis, following the model of President Franklin D Roosevelt during the 1930s depression.

Newt Gingrich, the former Republican Speaker of the House and a member of the defence policy board advising the Pentagon, is calling for a cross between the New Deal and the post-second world war Marshall Plan that would “mop up every young Iraqi male who is unemployed”. He said it would be “as big a strategic step towards victory as whether you have more troops or fewer troops”. Gingrich believes his position as a staunch conservative could help to sell the reconstruction package to sceptical Republicans who argue that Iraq has already cost too money.

Alright!! Can I get a big woo-hoo for new 'conservatism'?!? It was socialism in the 1930s that extended the Depression longer than it should have been and it's socialism in the 21st century that will extend the problems in Iraq for far far longer

I love 'conservatism'. 'Spreading democracy' didn't work (it never does) so we'll throw some old fashioned socialism at 'em. Go George go!! And to top it off Newt's on board so all the real 'conservatives' will be gung ho for this (soon to be) failed plan. But with this, throwing in some more photos of purple fingers, maybe the faithful will continue to believe.

The Pentagon this month requested an extra $100 billion from Congress as an emergency supplement to the 2007 military budget, bringing the total to $663 billion.

Come on now, we've got to get to a trillion here guys. It's not a truly wasteful government endeavor until it comes in at least 10-15 times over the original sold cost. Isn't there anybody left in Iraq to buy off (like Chalabi) that we can throw money at or something?