When US troops invaded Iraq in March 2003, the Bush administration predicted that the war would be self-financing and that rebuilding the nation would cost less than USD 2b.
President Bush's economic adviser and head of the National Economic Council, suggested that they might reach $200 billion. But this estimate was dismissed as “baloney” by the Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld.
The Bush Administration was wrong about the benefits of the war and it was wrong about the costs of the war too.
Even in the best case scenario, these costs are projected to be almost ten times the cost of the first Gulf War, almost a third more than the cost of the Vietnam War, and twice that of the First World War
In fact Bush's Iraqi adventure will cost America - just America - a conservatively estimated $3 trillion.
Daily military operations (not counting, for example, future care of wounded) have already cost more than 12 years in Vietnam, and twice as much as the Korean war.
The United States has a long-term cost of taking care of many, many thousands of disabled veterans for the rest of their lives.
Most Americans have yet to feel these costs. The price in treasure has, in a sense, been financed entirely by borrowing.
Who is profiting from this war? The countries that are the oil exporters and the defense contractors.

For more information read at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/feb/28/iraq.afghanistan
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article3419840.ece
http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/77663/
Antonios Symeonalis
Adelaide

Antonios

just out of curiosity.. would you prefer to deny the Iraqi's who all voted some time back the freedom they thought their vote was giving them?

You only 'vote' with a multiple choicd of candidates when you have a democracy. You vote for the ONLY candidate when you have a Sadaam Hussien who simply has your childrens eyes gouged out or their tongues cut off in front of you if you oppose him.

Human Rights.. yes.. we should have them in Iraq. Who is going to fight for them? Only fighting (against criminals, sectarian extremists,and misguided nationalists (who in fact sectarian)) will do it.

Aaah what the heck..lets abandon all those Iraqis who trusted us, and hand them on a platter to Saddam Wannabes and let them just kill each other to the last man eh.

Let's cave in to the base propoganda of the Left who don't give a damn about a stable country, all they want is ongoing turmoil because out of 'turmoil' the 'revolution' can emerge. With them being the most organized. Hey.. that's why they don't need a majority or even a large force...they just need two things

1/ Turmoil.
2/ Tight organization.

David
The Bush administration said many lies before the war in Iraq, one of them was about the cost of the war. Do not you think the difference from 2 billion to three trillion is very big? Who will pay this money? American Tax payers! Do you think Bush went to Iraq because he was interested for the democracy or for Iraqis or to punish Saddam? He went for the oil and ONLY for the oil? The only thing he did in Iraq was the dead of hundred of thousands of Iraqis, the waste of trillions of dollars and over all a good present to Iran. Bush took the Iraq from Arabs and gave it to Iran, to his worst enemy! Do you think the Iraqi Democracy will savvy when Americans leave Iraq? Forget it. Today is in Iraq the president of Iran, he promised 1 Billion dollars to Iraq, why?
You know all the top leaders of the Shiites(the majority of Iraqi government), including the religious leader was in Iran. Do not worry soon, very soon the sharia law will be in Iraq, thanks to president Bush.
Three trillion dollars for nothing when USA competitors become stronger and stronger Bush has created huge problems to his country and I feel sorry for American people, they deserved a better president.
Antonios Symeonakis
Adelaide

Oh shutup A Symeonakis your nothing but a babbling fool! I have read some of the other garbage posts you have made and you are close to the most vociferous windbag on this forum.

The facts are that hundreds of thousands of children died because of UN sanction on Iraq between the end of the gulf war and the start of the second one. To ignore this you are either very myopic or the deaths of hundreds of thousands of small children are irrelevant in your Demented mind set. Lets just say it was for the oil forget the children don’t you think!
And can you expand on this “we are just there for the oil” This stupid statement that pops up all the time is such an enigma! Saddam was quite happy to sell oil to the west so why did we need to go there to take it?

EasyTimes
--so why did we need to go there to take it?-- When Saudi officials asked USA Vise president why they wanted to invade into Iraq he answered <<because we can do it!>> Bush's administration thought they could go to Baghdad very easy, the Iraqis should welcome them as liberators, and of cause they could grab the oil without problems. Everything in their fantasy was OK. Even a 5 years old child could make a better plan for this war. Now it is very late, Americans have to pay for nothing, more than 3 trillion dollars. DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT? THREE TRILLION DOLLARS FOR NOTHING!
Antonios Symeonakis
Adelaide

In an overwhelmingly Arab region, it is non-Arab Iran that is establishing the strongest ties with Iraq. No comparable Arab leader has visited Iraq officially since the fall of Saddam Hussein.(From BBC)
Three trillion USA dollars costs the USA gift to Iran. President Bush is very generous to top Country's enemy. Who will pay the 3 trillion dollars? American people of cause! haha!
Antonios Symeonakis
Adelaide