Wasting $10 Billion a Month in Iraq?

I know I've talked about this before but, Iraq is not the "wasted" amount of money that Mr. Obama would have you believe as he pushes towards the Presidency.

Much of what is being spent on that war is coming right back into our own economy. It is as if no Democrat or Barack Obama has ever heard of the expression: A Wartime Economy.

All the "things" that are used and used up to support the war effort are made by American companies; by Americans; and, primarily, for our American soldiers. Where does Mr. Obama think Humvees are made? Baghdad?! What about all the rations like MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat) that are troops are eating? Those aren't hardly Arab dishes that they're eating! Everything from M-16's to the Tanks to tires to the boots that our soldiers wearoing are made here in the good old U.S.A. Further, American contractors, like General Electric and Halliburton (yes, Halliburton!), are using American-made products to rebuild the infrastructure in that country. That, too, helps give Americans jobs in America.

Whenever we pull the plug on the war, there will be a dent in our economy. Jobs will be lost that were once deependant on the war effort. That doesn't mean that we should have wars just to provide support to American companies and military contractors. However, the story that Obama is telling is not the complete truth. It is not totally wasted spending. There has always an economic upside to starting a war and an economic downside to ending one.

My guess is that about 20% of the 10 billion dollars a month, or approximately 2 billion dollars, is spending that is being spent on Iraqi contractors, military, and security personnel and equipment that provides no benefit, at all, to America. Additionally, any equipment like pumps and generators that is used to rebuild the Iraqi infrastructure, will remain there. However, America did benefit from that imbedded Iraqi equipment because we got to produce it. And, that meant jobs.

So, the bottom line is that our economy will lose about $8 billion dollars a month in governement spending once the Iraq war is concluded. That's $8 billions dollars that may be somewhat offset by increased activity in Afghanastan. But, there is no way that the level of support in a post-Iraq Afghanastan will equal what we had been spending in Iraq.

Lastly, we could probably argue all day long about the 80% level of spending that remains in the United States. However, whether it is 50% or 40% or 90%, our economy will be affected.

No Debate On Iraq

I guess you could say the war in Iraq is going well when the most liberal body of our government, the United States House of Representatives, was willing to pass a new war funding bill without an ounce of debate (See Full Story).

The reality is that to debate the war would be to expose the marked improvements in the stability in Iraq from just a year ago. To debate the war would be to say that Nancy Pelosi's and Harry Reid's declaration of just a year ago that the Iraq War was lost and mired in a civil conflict was all wrong (See Pelosi/Reid Story and Reid Comments of April 2007). To debate the war would be to say the surge "is" working. To debate the war is to say that presidential candidate, John McCain, was right. And, to debate the war was to say that Barack Obama's cut-and-run comments of a year ago would have been the wrong tactic from a man who would be our Commander-In-Chief (See Video).

The lack of debate says it all. I guess "no debate" is the closest you'll ever get as an apology for being so wrong!