www.nationalview.org and Note From a Madman brought to you by
for your Information Technology needs
owned and operated by Noah "The Madman" Greenberg
This Is What Democracy Looks Like
Today's Note From a Madman
April 9, 2008
Why Are We Still Paying For It?
"The cost of the occupation, the cost for the military administration and
providing for a provisional (civilian) administration, all of that would come
out of Iraqi oil,"
-Then-Deputy secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, in a December 13, 2002
briefing
Presidential economic advisor Lawrence B. Lindsey in 2002 stated that the Iraq
war and occupation could cost us all between $100 and $200 billion. He was then
given his gold watch for doing his job. Mitch Daniels, then Director of the
Office of Management and Budget was then forced to say that Lindsey's estimate
was "very, very high". His estimate came in at between "$50-$60 billion" and was
endorsed by then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Let's just say that the predictions of the cost of the Iraq war and occupation
were not only wrong, but plain stupid. It's a lot like Condoleezza Rice saying
that "no one would have predicted" that al-Qaeda would use airplanes as weapons
AFTER an intelligence report had just come out predicting that same thing.
The bush administration has lived on lies to keep us in Iraq just as John
McCain, the GOP Presidential nominee in 2008 is using those same lies as his
reasoning for keeping us in Iraq for up to "one hundred years".
We heard estimates that the Iraq war would cost us no ore than $1.5 billion; we
heard the likes of Dick Cheney predict that the Iraqi people would "throw
flowers at our feet"; and we heard Rumsfeld prediction that the Iraq war "could
last six days, six weeks, (but) I doubt six months."
Wrong again.
So yesterday we heard US troop commander David Patreaus and US Ambassador in
Iraq Ryan Crocker tell us that our "successes" in Iraq must be followed up with
more troops and more money for their prediction of future successes to some
true.
Wouldn't it be nice for any Bush administration prediction to come true...ever?
"A lot of American money, a lot of taxpayers' money, was spent in Iraq. I would
say that it could have been spent better,"
-Iraqi Ambassador Samir Sumaida'ie to US Senators yesterday
And with that, we find out that the Iraq government has money to spend on their
own reconstruction and their own protection.
It seems that Iraq oil is flowing and that Iraq has a surplus in their treasury.
And they have this surplus as we - the US middle class - keeps pouring our
recession dollars into their country for a war and an occupation that has no
end.
What's wrong with this picture?
I think that Senator Carl Levin (DEMOCRAT-MI) put it best yesterday:
"Rather, we need to put continuous and increasing pressure on the Iraqis to
settle their political differences, to pay for their own reconstruction with
their oil windfalls, and to take the lead in conducting military operations,"
-Levin
And that sentiment was echoed on the other side of the aisle as well:
"Isn't it time for the Iraqis to start bearing more of those expenses,
particularly in light of the windfall in revenues due to the high price of oil?"
-Senator Susan Collins (REPUBLICAN-ME)
And isn't it time for those associated with the Bush administration to begin
telling us the truth, and for the likes of senator John McCain to stop hiding
their mistakes?
And speaking of McCain, he has really got to stop confusing the different sects
in Iraq. Again, and after being corrected by his friend Senator Joe Lieberman
just last month in the middle east about the relationship between Iran and
al-Qaeda (one does not exist, no matter what McCain says), "The Maverick did it
again:
Al Qaeda is an "obscure sect of the Shi'ites,"
-McCain
This is not something which should be ignored. It wasn't cute when Ronald Reagan
did it, and it isn't cute today either.
-Noah Greenberg
In response to US Trade Representative Susan Schwab's, "We recognize that trade
can also have a negative impact on some of our citizens and that in those cases
the government has a responsibility to help workers obtain the skills to
successfully reenter the workforce," Robert Scardapane writes:
So, why did the Bush administration and GOP Congress cut funding for trade
adjustment assistance (TAA)? When many IT workers were laid off in the Bush's
first recession, why were they denied TAA? The Bushies actions never reflect
their words.
By the way, is Susan Schwab related to Charles? Word has it that Bush really
likes Charles Schwab. He must be one of his "have mores". I just wondering if
this is more cronyism.
There is no relationship anywhere on the Internet between Charles and Susan
Schwab. Although Charles and Helen Schwab reside in San Francisco, and had five
children together, there is no mention of any of their names. There is one
correlation, however: Both Charles and Susan Schwab gained their Masters Degrees
from Stanford University (Charles also obtained his Bachelor's degree there).
Although there is a mention of Susan Schwab's father being a State Department
employee, like the Schwab children's names, there is no mention of a name
anywhere. -NG
Send your comments to: NationalView@aol.com
-Noah Greenberg