Let’s say you believe the War on Iraq was justified. And that U.S. security has been improved by the occupation.

How much are you willing to pay to secure your safety?

… Stiglitz, former chief economist of the World Bank and winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, has stated the total costs of the Iraq War on the US economy will be three trillion dollars in a moderate scenario, and possibly more in the most recent published study, published in March 2008. Stiglitz has stated: “The figure we arrive at is more than $3 trillion. Our calculations are based on conservative assumptions. They are conceptually simple, even if occasionally technically complicated. A $3 trillion figure for the total cost strikes us as judicious, and probably errs on the low side. Needless to say, this number represents the cost only to the United States. It does not reflect the enormous cost to the rest of the world, or to Iraq.” …

Wikipedia

Via an excellent 60 Minutes TV investigative report.

related – The cold price of hot blood – Salon

I’m not a goofy enough peacenik to believe that the USA should have done nothing after 9-11. Sadam Hussein was a modest threat. I’m not 100% against the invasion, even.

But it should have been a one-time military strike. Disabling the Iraqui airforce. Removing Sadam from power.

Perhaps 3-4wks tops. A fixed budget.

… However, the real reason for the Iraq invasion was for the USA oil industry to gain more control over the second largest proven reserves in the World. That hasn’t really worked out for them.