From The Washington Post of 2 Jan 2006:
Quote:
U.S. Has End in Sight on Iraq Rebuilding
The Bush administration does not intend to seek any new funds for Iraq reconstruction in the budget request going before Congress in February, officials say. The decision signals the winding down of an $18.4 billion U.S. rebuilding effort in which roughly half of the money was eaten away by the insurgency, a buildup of Iraq's criminal justice system and the investigation and trial of Saddam Hussein.
... When the last of the $18.4 billion is spent, U.S. officials in Baghdad have made clear, other foreign donors and the fledgling Iraqi government will have to take up what authorities say is tens of billions of dollars of work yet to be done merely to bring reliable electricity, water and other services to Iraq's 26 million people.
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The country must import its oil. Iraq produces less electricity than when Saddam was in power even after America spent $2billion just on the electricity grid alone.
Some years ago, the US invited other nations to a conference for rebuilding of a 'just conquered' Iraq. European nations were stunned. US insisted the world contribute more money to Iraq than what is provided to all of Africa. $20 billion. So how much did American spend on Iraq? Almost $20 billion. And still Iraq - an oil rich nation - needs $tens of billions more.
More insteresting is where much of that money ended up. A 300 man task force that goes out most every night to rescue kidnap victims in Baghdad alone. But Iraq is safer? George Jr tells us so.
How much did the US spend to liberate Kuwait? Almost nothing. Brunt of that justified war was paid for by other nations. Remember that when a recession years from now, created by massive and uncontrolled US government spending, occurs. George Sr was so responsible as to have the world to pay for a justified war. George Jr was so irresponsible as to Pearl Harbor a sovereign nation for nothing more than his greater glory and his political agenda.
Pay we must - and somehow we like it. $200,000 per annum for each private guard (Blackwater) in Iraq. Good thing we have the Chinese to buy up America - just as America once did for Europe in the early 1900s when Europe saw war and military conquests as a justified solution to national interests.