U.S. Aid in Iraq Now Equal to Assistance in Germany After World War II
U.S. Aid in Iraq Now Equal to Assistance in Germany After World War II
A new report by the Congressional Research Service finds that the United States has spent as much on foreign assistance in Iraq during the last three years as it did during the entire seven-year reconstruction effort in Germany following World War II.
The report, obtained by the Federation of American Scientists, shows that the U.S. appropriated $28.9 billion in assistance to Iraq from FY03 to FY06. In comparison:
U.S. assistance to Germany totaled some $4.3 billion ($29.3 billion in 2005 dollars) for the years of direct military government (May 1945-May 1949) and the overlapping Marshall Plan years (1948/1949-1952).
Total U.S. assistance to Japan for the years of the occupation, from 1946-1952 was roughly $2.2 billion ($15.2 billion in 2005 dollars), of which almost $1.7 billion was grants and $504 million was loans.
Here is the data is chart form:
For all that money, reconstruction in Iraq has been a spectacular failure.
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NO BODIES daddy is rich enough to bail them out of this one.
April 5th, 2006 at 3:42 pmYet another republican Boondoggle that only Halliburton, Carlyle and a hand full of GOP insiders appear to have profited from. This must be the ’shock and awe’ they were all talking about. The one from realizing the sticker shock of republican incompetence on the american economy and federal spending.
April 5th, 2006 at 3:46 pmIt’s a shameful that our Children, Grandchildren and Great Grandchlidren will be paying for this unjust war.
April 5th, 2006 at 3:55 pmBush 43 administration: Spectacular Failures R Us — We Specialize.
April 5th, 2006 at 4:01 pmWhat party managed all that money during/after WWII?
April 5th, 2006 at 4:03 pmSetting new incompetence records everyday.
April 5th, 2006 at 4:11 pmGood thing it isn’t real money they play with.
April 5th, 2006 at 4:19 pmIraqi “freedom” is costing each and every man, woman and child in America today $1100/month.
Too bad Iraq won’t turn out to be as nice and pretty as Germany after we’re all done there. I’m sure Iraq could use a few tree’d mountains, lush green valleys, and the Sound of Music kind of atmosphere.
Heck of a job, Bushy!
ITMFA!!!
April 5th, 2006 at 4:22 pmIt’s a boondoggle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNc1NGlZpN0W
April 5th, 2006 at 4:29 pmIraq should be known as the Middle Eastern white House for Neo Cons
April 5th, 2006 at 4:31 pmImagine, we’ve surpassed the cost of The Marshall Plan and have nothing but tragedy toshow for it.
There must be 50 Ways To Dump The Dubya
April 5th, 2006 at 4:34 pm24 Wisconsin Communities Vote for Iraq Pullout
Thousands of voters turned out in Wisconsin to offer a purely symbolic but heartfelt message: Bring the troops home from Iraq.
By margins overwhelming in some places and narrow in others, voters in 24 of 32 communities approved referendums Tuesday calling for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq…
[from: http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0405-06.htm ]
This occupation of Iraq has gotten to be very expensive. And what do we have to show for it? A solid, stable Iraqi government? A secular state capable of taking it’s place alongside other nations of the world? A safe place for it’s citizens to live?
April 5th, 2006 at 4:34 pmEverything this administration has done has been a spectacular failure, except raise money for the Republican party. That’s not very tough, as the real employers of Congress know full well they have to pay up when the bill comes due.
April 5th, 2006 at 4:36 pmWell, what would can we as Americans expect from a hypocritical President who covers up conspiracies only to be found out three years latter, I say it’s time we start protesting.
April 5th, 2006 at 4:38 pmHere are a few other interesting tidbits for the trolls and ReichWingNuts to choke on:
“I will bet you the best dinner in the gaslight district of San Diego that military action will not last more than a week. Are you willing to take that wager?” (Bill O’Reilly, Fox News, 1/29/03)
“Well, the hot story of the week is victory. The Tommy Franks-Don Rumsfeld battle plan, war plan, worked brilliantly, a three-week war with mercifully few American deaths or Iraqi civilian deaths. There is a lot of work yet to do, but all the naysayers have been humiliated so far. The final word on this is hooray.” (Morton Kondracke, Fox News, 4/12/03)
“The only people who think this wasn’t a victory are Upper West Side liberals, and a few people here in Washington.” (Charles Krauthammer, “Inside Washington,” 4/19/03)
“This has been a tough war for commentators on the American left. … Liberal writers for ideologically driven magazines like The Nation and for less overtly political ones like The New Yorker did not predict a defeat, but the terrible consequences many warned of have not happened. Now liberal commentators must address the victory at hand and confront an ascendant conservative juggernaut that asserts U.S. might can set the world right.” (New York Times reporter David Carr, 4/16/03)
[from: http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0405-23.htm ]
Yep. A Middle East WhiteHouse for Preznit Numbnuts. In Iraq. Nice dream, Bushy.
April 5th, 2006 at 4:38 pmDoes anybody have a similar chart of the money that actually arrived at the places it was supposed to be spent?
April 5th, 2006 at 4:41 pmGood thing the republicans are the party of accountability & limited spending of taxpayers’ money.
April 5th, 2006 at 4:43 pm#16–it arrived safely in Halliburton’s account, so it actually arrived where it was supposed to.
That great REPUBLICAN Eisenhower warned us against the dangers of the military-industrial complex back in 1961; too bad we ignored him.
April 5th, 2006 at 4:44 pm#5 -
April 5th, 2006 at 4:47 pmMostly Republican. The Marshall plan was initiated under Truman, but the bulk of the spending was under Ike. They used local talent and rebuilt the infrastructure and the industries that had been ravaged by four years of ceaseless bombing and warfare. The result was twofold – the populace was offered employment and the nations were restored on the western side of the Iron Curtain. The Cheney plan has only one objective – enrich good old Dick. What he plans to do with all that dough after he croaks is beyond me. Perhaps, he has found a way to deposit his billions in hell. Sort of like giving the Devil his due.
Billions to Halliburton and I will have to sell my house to pay for my daughter to go to college. sigh
April 5th, 2006 at 4:57 pmThey used local talent and rebuilt the infrastructure and the industries that had been ravaged by four years of ceaseless bombing and warfare.
Comment by WaltTheMan — April 5, 2006 @ 4:47 pm
Correct, there was a genuine concern to rebuild war-torn Europe.
Also, it is obvious that in conservative circles there is a bit of contempt for Iraqis and Arab culture in general; and that perception of Iraqis/Arabs/Muslims as less capable people -or simply one not to be trusted- has a direct impact on the hiring of labor in Iraq.
In short, the neo-con rationale is: “Them darkies” don’t know better. We have to do the job for them.
April 5th, 2006 at 5:07 pmPost WWII Germany, didn’t have an active insurgency blowing shit up either.
April 5th, 2006 at 5:17 pm#19 if you read the article it has reconstruction costs through 1952. So it was still the Truman administration.
April 5th, 2006 at 5:19 pmIt’s a shameful that our Children, Grandchildren and Great Grandchlidren will be paying for this unjust war.
Comment by Mary Poppin
At least they stand a good chance of being alive to pay for it. They will thank us just like we thank our grandfathers for destroying the Nazi threat to all humanity.
But if it really bothers you that much just say…Supercalifragalisticexpealadocious!
April 5th, 2006 at 5:29 pmBillions to Halliburton and I will have to sell my house to pay for my daughter to go to college. sigh
Comment by Jules
That’s Halliburton’s fault?
April 5th, 2006 at 5:32 pmActually #24 – there is more terrorism in the world now thanks to your president then there was prior to the war in Iraq. Face it – there was no threat there. We are not the freedom fighters of the world. We cannot bring democracy to a country by force. Our children should not be sacrificed so Hallibuton can have more no bid contracts.
April 5th, 2006 at 5:33 pmNow, I’m shocked and awed.
April 5th, 2006 at 5:33 pmNo #25 that is your preasidents and vice presidents fault for turning the treasury over to Halliburton.
April 5th, 2006 at 5:34 pmI think the point Jules is making, is that money that could be spent to fund higher education, is instead being given to Haliburton, with little or no oversight.
April 5th, 2006 at 5:36 pmAlso, it is obvious that in conservative circles there is a bit of contempt for Iraqis and Arab culture in general; and that perception of Iraqis/Arabs/Muslims as less capable people -or simply one not to be trusted- has a direct impact on the hiring of labor in Iraq.
In short, the neo-con rationale is: “Them darkies†don’t know better. We have to do the job for them.
Comment by Gregor Samsa
Hypocrite, only our “darkies” need racial set-asides, affirmative action and dumbed down curriculum K-12 and that’s your doing.
April 5th, 2006 at 5:36 pmThank you Krazny – my bad to assume a reich wingnut would be able to logically deduce that giving our treasury away to Halliburton would take away from important needs.
April 5th, 2006 at 5:38 pmHypocrite, only our “darkies†need racial set-asides, affirmative action and dumbed down curriculum K-12 and that’s your doing.
Comment by I-RIGHT-I — April 5, 2006 @ 5:36 pm
I wasn’t aware Iraq has affirmative action laws, or “racial set-asides”.
We are talking about Iraq, right?
April 5th, 2006 at 5:40 pmIt’s a boondoggle!
April 5th, 2006 at 5:41 pmI think the point Jules is making, is that money that could be spent to fund higher education, is instead being given to Haliburton, with little or no oversight.
Comment by Krazny
There’s another sore spot with me. “Higher Education” is a bottomless pit where government, alumni and parents throw billions and the price still goes up while the quality goes down. Do you want to know why? Left Wing Fucktards are the administrators.
But the point I’d like to make to his complaint about that money is this…what makes him think that even more of my tax money ought to be paying for his daughter’s education? When will the ever increasing demand for hand outs, set-asides, grants, gifts and all those freebies end?
April 5th, 2006 at 5:45 pmWe are talking about Iraq, right?
Comment by Gregor Samsa
No, we were talking about “darkies”. Your word.
April 5th, 2006 at 5:46 pmThank you Krazny – my bad to assume a reich wingnut would be able to logically deduce that giving our treasury away to Halliburton would take away from important needs.
Comment by Jules
Why do I have to remind you that your daughter’s education is your responsibility?
April 5th, 2006 at 5:49 pmHey, I-WRONG-I, what do you think this occupation is costing you? On a monthly basis, please. And what are you paying in taxes for this education thing you’re howling about?
Of course, the reality of the situation will be totally lost on you.
April 5th, 2006 at 5:51 pmDID ANYONE SEE THIS ANYWHERE IN THE U.S. MSM…THE ISRAELI LOBBY HAS BEEN BUSY..THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS TRIAL DATE HAS BEEN CHANGED. MORE TIME TO TRY TO GET IT DISMISSED. CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES TELL THEM YOU WANT TO SEE THE ROSEN/AIPAC/ LARRY FRANKLIN ESPIONAGE CASE PUT ON TRIAL…SOONER THAN LATER
READ THE FOLLOWING FROM JTA JEWISH TELEGRAPHIC AGENCY
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AIPAC trial delayed
The judge in the classified-information case against two former AIPAC staffers delayed the trial for a month.
Judge T.S. Ellis III did not explain his order Monday postponing the trial from April 25 to May 23.
However, he also postponed his ruling on whether to dismiss the charges, which had been due Friday, until April 25.
In hearing arguments for dismissal last Friday, Ellis said the constitutional implications of the government’s charges against Steve Rosen, the former foreign policy director for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, and Keith Weissman, AIPAC’s former Iran analyst, were weighty enough to merit serious consideration of the dismissal motion.
The charges are based on a never-used statute dating to World War I that makes it a crime for civilians to retain or disseminate classified information.
Lawyers for the defendants say it unconstitutionally inhibits free speech.
April 5th, 2006 at 5:53 pmActually #24 – there is more terrorism in the world now thanks to your president then there was prior to the war in Iraq. Face it – there was no threat there. We are not the freedom fighters of the world. We cannot bring democracy to a country by force. Our children should not be sacrificed so Hallibuton can have more no bid contracts.
Comment by Jules
The threat is real and it’s a damn good thing we are there. If you don’t believe me believe the nutcase that is ruling Iran.
April 5th, 2006 at 5:53 pm“Now that the war in Iraq is all but over, should the people in Hollywood who opposed the president admit they were wrong?” (Alan Colmes, Fox News, 4/25/03)
Maybe Alan would like to throw in a few extra bucks to help poor ‘ol George pay for the occupation of Iraq?
April 5th, 2006 at 5:54 pmOf course, the reality of the situation will be totally lost on you.
Comment by Jesus Christ God of WAR
You live in a totally different world far removed from anything close to reality. What I pay in taxes is my business but I’ll tell you it’s plenty and MOST of it goes to fund socialist do-nothing programs devised by liberal dim-wits, not to the war.
April 5th, 2006 at 5:58 pmHigher education should is a goal that everyone, republican or democrat should support. The main reason being that a person with a college degree will over their lifetime make more money, use less government programs, and pay more taxes then a person with only a high school diploma.
frankly right now we are paying for neither. The money for Iraq is coming from a crippling national debt, that Bush doesn’t even acknowledge. So in a sense we are placing it on a national credit card. The last fiscal conservative we had in the white house was Bill Clinton, and bush pretty muched fucked that up.
April 5th, 2006 at 5:58 pm“I’m waiting to hear the words ‘I was wrong’ from some of the world’s most elite journalists, politicians and Hollywood types…. I just wonder, who’s going to be the first elitist to show the character to say: ‘Hey, America, guess what? I was wrong’? Maybe the White House will get an apology, first, from the New York Times’ Maureen Dowd. Now, Ms. Dowd mocked the morality of this war….
“Do you all remember Scott Ritter, you know, the former chief U.N. weapons inspector who played chief stooge for Saddam Hussein? Well, Mr. Ritter actually told a French radio network that — quote, ‘The United States is going to leave Baghdad with its tail between its legs, defeated.’ Sorry, Scott. I think you’ve been chasing the wrong tail, again.
“Maybe disgraced commentators and politicians alike, like Daschle, Jimmy Carter, Dennis Kucinich, and all those others, will step forward tonight and show the content of their character by simply admitting what we know already: that their wartime predictions were arrogant, they were misguided and they were dead wrong. Maybe, just maybe, these self-anointed critics will learn from their mistakes. But I doubt it. After all, we don’t call them ‘elitists’ for nothing.”
(MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough, 4/10/03)
Maybe the trolls and ReichWingNuts should be asking Preznit Numbnuts to apologize to the nation. Maybe they should all apologize to Scott Ritter for no believing him in the first place. Maybe they should turn to their Dem/Progressive neighbors and say, “you were right. We’re sorry.”
April 5th, 2006 at 6:00 pmHey, I-WRONG-I, you’re wrong.
The bulk of your taxes go to paying for your mightly military machine. Yep. That’s right. Or isn’t $400BILLION a year enough for you? Look closely, as it’s this very same machine that seems bogged down in the sand in a place called Iraq.
April 5th, 2006 at 6:03 pmOh, oh, oh, and the consequences are so similar!!
April 5th, 2006 at 6:04 pm“Over the next couple of weeks when we find the chemical weapons this guy was amassing, the fact that this war was attacked by the left and so the right was so vindicated, I think, really means that the left is going to have to hang its head for three or four more years.”
(Fox News Channel’s Dick Morris, 4/9/03)
Yes. The Dems/Progressives are really hanging their heads now. Stupid Rethuglican fools. Too bad for them that they drank Preznit Numbnut’s Cool Aid. Taxes will need to be raised to cover the costs of this debaucle. Inflation will rise (perhaps dramatically) as a direct result of this invasion and occupation.
Will the WingNuts accept responsibility for this mess?
April 5th, 2006 at 6:09 pmResponsibilty is not a republican trait. Lies, deceit, and slander however…….
April 5th, 2006 at 6:12 pmBillions to Halliburton and I will have to sell my house to pay for my daughter to go to college. sigh
Comment by Jules — April 5, 2006 @ 4:57 pm
Sorry to hear that. That’s it’s become a choice between the two. It’s not supposed to be a choice like that for hardworking, decent people.
I genuinely feel for the kids being born today. Whatever existed of the American Dream when I started college is no longer possible for them. We claim, as a nation, to value education, but based upon where we put our money, our actions make it very clear that bombs and guns and bullets are our priority. And then we wonder why children are shooting other children as a means to conflict resolution. Makes me glad I don’t have any. Through, I still will get to see and feel this impact upon my niece and nephews, all currently 5 years old and less.
April 5th, 2006 at 6:35 pmAnyone else would get the ass-kicking to end all ass-kickings if they squandered the national treasury this way. Maybe it would be the Chinese government calling in its loans. The American people aren’t terribly interested in doing it.
April 5th, 2006 at 8:09 pmRight I is bogus
Folks, I’ve been looking through multiple IRI postings and he/she is a bogus. I think it’s a fellow liberal’s misdirected attempt to stir up the base.
The remarks are insincere. Give’em a read. Ever see a play in which one actor or another isn’t up to snuff; he/she says the lines but they’re not believable? That’s how IRI’s remarks come across.
Right Eyes – I don’t think you’re doing this as a prank. I believe you think that you’re doing a service. However, it drains your resources (mostly time) and ours. I would suggest you volunteer for some campaign or something and work some phones or do some organizing. You have talent. And energy! Don’t waste it.
April 5th, 2006 at 8:18 pmThe reason for the Iraqi war is the asbestos liability at Dresser Industry. The family biz faced bankrupty, Haliburton bails them out and gets payed back in kind, the ole wheels keep on turning.
April 5th, 2006 at 9:49 pmThose responsible for this act of theft from Americans should all be thrown into jail for the balance of their lives. The lost opportunities these crooks have taken from Americans killed or seriously and eternally injured is a sin beyond conpare. Also sinful is the lost opportunity for a better way of life for Americans now and for many, many generations because of the $Billions of dollars wasted or unlawfully taken by corporations connected to bush/cheney. If America spent half the money wasted in Iraq on education, medical research and care, (just to name a few worthy projects) think of how much better off Americans and the world would be in the near and distant future. Instead, the world is less safe, Americans will be less protected and future generations will pay for the profits to corporations while Americans die from a lack of adequate health care and research. It is time to fight back!
April 5th, 2006 at 11:38 pm#23,
April 5th, 2006 at 11:52 pmThe fact still remaims that the bulk of Marshall plan expenses occured under the Eisenhower administration. The reason that things occured that way is stated in an old adage about how long it took to not build Rome. In addition, Germany was not the sole beneficiary – 11 countries were benefited from the Marshall plan.
Let’s be clear about two things here:
1) the amount of money we’ve spent so far isn’t ALL that we’re going to HAVE to spend in order to right this debacle. We’ve been there for three years but Bush already told us we’ll be there until the end of his term — another two and a half years, in essence take the number we have and double it (unless we change our policies and soon).
2) you can only do three things with money. you can waste it and get nothing of value for it. you can hold it or spend it on something of equal value. or you can invest it and, essentially, get more money in return. I think one can reasonably argue that Iraq is an example of terrific waste and that investing in education has proven in the past to be a sound investment (bear in mind that one of the key items that made America a superpower and the envy of the world was its public school system; our economic growth and excellence — this damned internet, going to the moon, etc. — is a result of investment in the education of the populace). To think otherwise is to show fear of looking the truth straight in the face.
True patriots face the truth, no matter how challenging. Why do we so admire our founding fathers? Because of what they produced. They spent the time to craft the rules that govern and protect us not by doing what was easy or popular in the majority but by listening to all voices, seeking the best of all ideas. I shudder to think what our nation would be today had it been founded by the likes of Bush and Cheney. I guess it would probably look a lot like Saddam’s Iraq (except with more slaves).
April 6th, 2006 at 12:00 amSiriusA,
April 6th, 2006 at 12:12 amExcellent essay!
Since Bush has turned Iraq into a cesspool of violence and destruction > he and his dad should be forced to spend every dollar they have in their personal bank accounts for Iraq! The Bush family should be dead-broke for the horror they did in Iraq! Shame on them!
April 6th, 2006 at 12:28 amIts painfully obvious by reading IRI’s word that the republican mindset has changed drastically. Way back when I was a republican we were aginst the US using our treasury and our dollars in foreign lands, in addition to the US. Now it apears that any amounts spent in foreign lands named Iraq are ok regardless of whether or not they ever have apositive return for our nation, just as long as we don’t spend the money here, where it might benefit our country. Heck we don’t produce enough scientists or engineers, so lets keep that trend going and make sure the numbers we do produce continue to fall. Fucknuts like IRI have no clue about spending money on things like higher education, he can only see today period. Anything beyond that is a mystery to him. Perhaps just maybe if we were to spend the money to produce more engineers and other scientists, then these people might work in jobs where they earn more and hence pay higher taxes earning the country a return on that education investment. Perhaps if they attain these critically needed skills, they migh contribute to our economy and helpp spur growth. Or we can have IRI’s way and screw the future for a little more today. In IRI’s world if you can’t afford college, you don’t go, screw getting help, regardless of your potential future worth, you should just go be a cashier at wally world and accept your lot in life.
April 6th, 2006 at 12:30 amThe simple fact, like the man, is that bush has been and continues to be a complete failure in EVERYTHING he’s attempted in life. This isn’t a surprise to me ~ and while the repubs can claim that “democracy is on the move” in the middle east, it’s a lie. The middle east and the world as a whole are not better off because of bush and his repub congress. Only the VERY rich are better off. The rest of us get to enjoy, if we can afford it, extremely high medical insurance (which doesn’t pay much), increasingly expensive higher education, failing roadway systems, a tax system designed to favor the rich and hatred of much of the world. But, at least bush has brought honor to the Oval Office. . . . Give me Clinton any day!
April 6th, 2006 at 12:38 am“By and large, wars are not constructive acts: they are better judged by what they prevent than by what they accomplish.†His was the clearest voice in a chorus of ex-Reagan and Bush officials calling upon Clinton to strike Hussein as the decade progressed. “The Persian Gulf with its vital oil resources is critical to us,†he told Jim Lehrer in 1996. “That’s absolutely central to constructing the kind of world that will be safer in the next century.â€
——————-
There’s another sore spot with me. “Higher Education†is a bottomless pit where government, alumni and parents throw billions and the price still goes up while the quality goes down. Do you want to know why? Left Wing Fucktards are the administrators.
But the point I’d like to make to his complaint about that money is this…what makes him think that even more of my tax money ought to be paying for his daughter’s education? When will the ever increasing demand for hand outs, set-asides, grants, gifts and all those freebies end?
Comment by I-RIGHT-I — April 5, 2006 @ 5:45 pm
————————————————–
The Handouts are going to the “Bush” pioneers and the Bush Defense people, and the Cheney Bechtel and the Halliburton, and now the Budget doesn’t have “Democracy” in it.
Sure IRI you czn try to BLAME the poor people, but again it’s people like you that seem to prefer corruption and support the military Indutstrial Complex, As far as schools are concerned you should look at Neil Bushs truly horrible excuse for an “Educatiional” program, Excite Inc, which just so happens to fit inot the Underfunded NCLB act.
YOU DO REMEMBER THE NCLB don’t you I-RAnt-I?
April 6th, 2006 at 12:54 amAnd who really cares about the sore spot in your “PERFECT LIFE” I-Rant-I?[as you say.] If it’s SO perfect why are you always caterwauling about every damn thing their is or was and will be?
April 6th, 2006 at 1:00 amWolfowitz never really emphasized eliminating global poverty-the World Bank’s stated mission-as a national strategic priority. Bush points to Wolfowitz’s stint as U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia as proof of his “commitment to development.†But as an envoy he obsessed about gaining U.S. corporate access to Indonesia’s energy resources in the 1980s, at a time when strongman Suharto banned opposition, and skimmed plenty from World Bank and other development finance groups.
Wolfowitz’s main “development†experience is actually in post-invasion Iraq. After the invasion, he stomped through Europe, demanding that its governments cancel Iraq’s debt. When Europe balked, he signed an order saying that anyone not involved in the military coalition would be barred from Iraq reconstruction contracts. A recent Inspector General audit of coalition reconstruction funds found the coalition “did not establish or implement sufficient managerial, financial, and contractual controls to ensure (development) funds were used in a transparent manner. Consequently, there was no assurance the funds were used for the purposes mandated by†the UN.
But Cheney and crew, with the unbounded joy of spring, remain on the charm offensive, trying to secure the economic crown jewel.
Cheney and Wolfowitz understand that global hegemony requires control over the three pillars of power: military, political, and economic. The World Bank sets the terms of global development. When developing countries started demanding a decrease in U.S. political power in the institution, when the Bank balked at supporting Wolfowitz’s reconstruction and debt cancellation plans for Iraq, and when a Bank-commissioned study recommended getting out of the oil business, the World Bank became a natural target for a hostile takeover.
Cheney wants in. There’s no stopping him now, unless Europe, industrialized Asia, and the Global South decide to put up a fight.
Jim Vallette is research director of the Sustainable Energy and Economy Network) at the Institute for Policy Studies and an analyst at Foreign Policy In Focus, where this article originally appeared. He is the co-author of numerous studies about international finance and U.S. oil interests, including the December 2004 report, A Wrong Turn from Rio: The World Bank’s Road to Climate Catastrophe and the 2000 examination, Halliburton’s Destructive Engagement: How Dick Cheney and USA-Engage Subvert Democracy at Home and Abroad.
April 6th, 2006 at 1:02 amA recent Inspector General audit of coalition reconstruction funds found the coalition “did not establish or implement sufficient managerial, financial, and contractual controls to ensure (development) funds were used in a transparent manner. Consequently, there was no assurance the funds were used for the purposes mandated by†the UN.
I-RANT-I
April 6th, 2006 at 1:05 amDon’t go away Mad, Just Go Away, Thanks -The World In General
Everything is just fine overthere,you lib cut and runners.
April 6th, 2006 at 1:07 am#Everything is just fine overthere,you lib cut and runners.
Comment by Lovable little fuzzball* — April 6, 2006 @ 1:07 am
Yeh I guess thats why Condi is saying time is running out for an Iraqi Government to form?
April 6th, 2006 at 1:16 amBecause? Its Formed? It’s a ‘Just Fine’ ‘Freedom’ Operation? Oh Wait Bush made Operation Iraqi Freedom into Iraqi War didn’t he? Not the “libs” whoever that is. This is a Mess all aroound and its got Neo-Kooks written all over it. War Profiteering, Mercs, Corruption, the Whole sheebang.
You libs can’t handle the truth.
April 6th, 2006 at 1:25 amDave Zweifel: Words for right-wing pundits to choke on
By Dave Zweifel
The media watchdog organization, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, likes to keep tabs on the pontificators in print and on television and occasionally looks back to see how they did.
The Iraq war, for instance, has been a treasure trove in providing some first-class embarrassments for America’s punditry, particularly those talking heads on cable TV.
Here’s a sampling. There are many more at the group’s Web site, http://www.fair.org.
“Now that the combat phase of the war in Iraq is officially over, what begins is a debate throughout the entire U.S. government over America’s unrivaled power and how best to use it.” (CBS reporter Joie Chen, 5/4/03)
Dave Zweifel: Words for right-wing pundits to choke on
AP Photo/Jim Copper
Fox News anchor Bill O’Reilly poses on the roof of the Fox building in New York.
“The only people who think this wasn’t a victory are Upper West Side liberals, and a few people here in Washington.” (Charles Krauthammer, “Inside Washington,” 4/19/03)
“Well, the hot story of the week is victory. The Tommy Franks-Don Rumsfeld battle plan, war plan, worked brilliantly, a three-week war with mercifully few American deaths or Iraqi civilian deaths. There is a lot of work yet to do, but all the naysayers have been humiliated so far. The final word on this is hooray.” (Morton Kondracke, Fox News, 4/12/03)
“The war was the hard part. The hard part was putting together a coalition, getting 300,000 troops over there and all their equipment and winning. And it gets easier. I mean, setting up a democracy is hard, but it is not as hard as winning a war.” (Fred Barnes, Fox News, 4/10/03)
“This has been a tough war for commentators on the American left. … Liberal writers for ideologically driven magazines like The Nation and for less overtly political ones like The New Yorker did not predict a defeat, but the terrible consequences many warned of have not happened. Now liberal commentators must address the victory at hand and confront an ascendant conservative juggernaut that asserts U.S. might can set the world right.” (New York Times reporter David Carr, 4/16/03)
“Now that the war in Iraq is all but over, should the people in Hollywood who opposed the president admit they were wrong?” (Alan Colmes, Fox News, 4/25/03)
“I will bet you the best dinner in the gaslight district of San Diego that military action will not last more than a week. Are you willing to take that wager?” (Bill O’Reilly, Fox News, 1/29/03)
“There’s no way. There’s absolutely no way. They may bomb for a matter of weeks, try to soften them up as they did in Afghanistan. But once the United States and British unleash, it’s maybe hours. They’re going to fold like that.” (Bill O’Reilly, Fox News, 2/10/03)
Dave Zweifel is editor of The Capital Times. E-mail: dzweifel@madison.com
Published: April 4, 2006 \
Choke on that “Neo-Kook” FUZZBALL
April 6th, 2006 at 1:28 amYou can never accept Blame for anything can you Neo-kooks eh FUZZBALL?
April 6th, 2006 at 1:32 amLooks like your Eating YOUR own Damn ‘Lib’ Crow BuB. Sure you can Try to Blame the “Libs”
but that Dog aint gonna hunt.
SADR CITY, Iraq, April 4, 2006
The Madhi army in Sadr City, Iraq. (CBS)
(CBS) When you enter the vast Shiite slum of Sadr City in northeastern Baghdad, your life is in the hands of one of the most formidable militias in the capital — the Mahdi army, reports CBS News correspondent Lara Logan.
“We couldn’t move around Sadr City without the protection of the Mahdi army, so we have three cars of armed gunmen escorting us, one in front and two behind,” Logan says. “They certainly seem to know their way around here and to be in control.”
That control is obvious when CBS News passes through this Iraqi army checkpoint and the soldiers simply wave through the lead car of militiamen, all of whom are armed to the teeth.
CBS News went to meet Sheikh Abdel Hadi al-Daraji, the man who speaks for their leader, rebel Shiite cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr.
He blamed America for trying to create civil war in Iraq.
“I tell President Bush that the freedom you want is the freedom of blood,” he says.
His armed guards agreed, and although they wouldn’t talk on-camera, they made it clear they want American forces to leave Iraq.
In Sadr City, the well-organized and well-armed Mahdi army militia, loyal to al-Sadr, is the law. They fought the Americans twice before and they’re ready to fight them again. But for now, their political leaders are — at least publicly — calling for restraint.
“Just Fine” Right Fuzzball?
April 6th, 2006 at 1:39 amCmon FUZZBALL ,be that blogger “Pundit”, hit me with some of your laughable lingo.
—————
SPIEGEL: How much will a severely brain-damaged soldier cost the US government?
Stiglitz: My moderate estimate is about $4 million. For this group alone there will be a total cost of $35 billion that nobody is talking about. But look at the broader picture: The Veterans Administration originally projected that roughly 23,000 veterans returning from Iraq would seek medical care last year. But in June 2005, it revised this number to an estimated 103,000. No wonder the Veterans Administration had to appeal Congress for emergency funding of $1.5 billion last year.
SPIEGEL: If this is a $1 trillion war, why couldn’t the US provide its soldiers with safer body armor and better protected vehicles?
STIGLITZ: Obviously, the US can afford to pay for body armor. Rumsfeld, our Secretary of Defense, said you have to fight with the armor you have, but that’s unconscionable. The military is focusing only on the short run costs. If they don’t provide appropriate body armor, they save some money today, but the healthcare cost is going to be the future for some other president down the line. I view that as both fiscally and morally irresponsible.
“Just Fine” eh FuzzBall?
April 6th, 2006 at 1:47 amListen you loser libs:No matter what the cost were not going to cut and run like you loser libs want to.As for soldier injuries;what do you think all those V.A.hospitals are for.I guess you’d rather house the homeless there.You libs are socilist losers.
April 6th, 2006 at 2:12 amAnd by the way,Cheney and Wolfie are friends of mine.Your just a phoney balogna good time rock and roller F.M.type.
April 6th, 2006 at 3:02 amListen you loser libs:No matter what the cost were not going to cut and run like you loser libs want to.As for soldier injuries;what do you think all those V.A.hospitals are for.I guess you’d rather house the homeless there.You libs are socilist losers.
Especially if the cost is failure.
April 6th, 2006 at 4:15 amYou destruct ; You reconstruct >>>> You are stupid!!!
April 6th, 2006 at 7:17 amYou Destruct
You Reconstruct
You Stupid!!!
April 6th, 2006 at 7:20 amCut and run from what? The quagmire your incompetent leaders have put us in? Only a true moron refuses to back down when he is so obviously beaten. It’s too bad you don’t spend your energy educating yourselves, rather than flaming the people who were right all along.
April 6th, 2006 at 10:05 amThere’s another sore spot with me. “Higher Education†is a bottomless pit where government, alumni and parents throw billions and the price still goes up while the quality goes down. Do you want to know why?
Comment by I-RIGHT-I #34
…Because inbred morons like IRI…
…couldn’t qualify…
…couldn’t measure up…
…and hate the fact that so many “darkies” are doing so much better than his/her racist, al Cracker inbred a*s!
April 6th, 2006 at 11:47 amListen you loser libs:No matter what the cost were not going to cut and run like you loser libs want to.As for soldier injuries;what do you think all those V.A.hospitals are for.I guess you’d rather house the homeless there.You libs are socilist losers.
Comment by Lovable little fuzzball* 370
…It must be Sadie Hawkins day…
“Jubilation dee cornpone”…
…yeeehaaaa!!!!
April 6th, 2006 at 11:49 am“No matter what the cost were not going to cut and run” — Lovable little fuzzball
Why are there only two choices? Why is everything either black OR white? It seems to me that the rhetoric you wonderful, large-brained conservatives spout forces every issue into two choices. This OR that. Us OR them. Fight OR run.
This is how intelligent people attack a challenging problem: they gather allies, discuss options, build consensus and then throw everything they have against the problem. Want to know a war for freedom that was won this way? The American Revolution. We sought help from the Dutch. From the French. From each and every colony. And then the founders did something incredibly brave: they signed their names to the Declaration of Independence. This was, essentially, a death sentence for treason should the British get hold of them. That’s why John Hancock’s signature is so large — he wanted the King to read it easily.
Where’s that level of courage from OUR leaders? Where is that kind of dedication to SOLVING this problem rather than BLAMING it on others?
Again, were Bush and Cheney the kind of leaders we had at the founding of this nation you’d be pledging allegiance to the English Queen and driving down the left side of the Cheney Motorway.
Patriots fight for PRINCIPALS, not for PRIDE and PERSONAL GAIN.
April 6th, 2006 at 11:50 amWhy is everything either black OR white? It seems to me that the rhetoric you wonderful, large-brained conservatives spout forces every issue into two choices.
Comment by SiriusA #78
SiriusA,
…It’s called…
…”developmentally disabled”…
…right wing inbreds are notorious for what else?… inbreeding…
…they were denied mobiles in the crib, and suffer from social isolation…
…Thus, critical thinking is NOT their strong suit…
April 6th, 2006 at 11:53 amI’ve got a show to do now you liberal losers.Why don’t you listen and learn you pinkos.
April 6th, 2006 at 12:04 pmGee, I thought the Congress and Executive Branch controlled the funding for VA hospitals. It must have been the minority party that has reduced funding, access, and even proposed to move to priviate groups taking over the Health Care for our veteran. Oh yea, 50 Vets, which means you’ll have to use something else beside your hands and toes to count, are running for office as Dems. How many Vets do the Republicans have running -Hint you can use your hands for this one.
April 6th, 2006 at 12:29 pmHey F(Sc)uzzball – (post 70)
Cutting and running is in fact exactly what we’re doing. That’s bush’s plan at this point. There’s no more troops! This whole “turn it over to Iraqis” thing? It equals “draw down & retreat to hardened permanent bases in effort to maintain control of natural resources and political process.”
Ultimately, we need troops. If you’re so into the war, GO. Joint the Army. Go to Iraq.
April 6th, 2006 at 4:49 pmGermany v. Iraq???? At least Iraq has oil….Hmmmm,,,those Presidents of the People, FDR and Truman ,made sure evil US corporations would benefit from the Marshall Plan……And how much $$$$ have we pumped into that never-ending sand well – “The War on Poverty”????? Why is it the more we spend on education – the worse the test results are????? Teachers are usually whining that they need more $$$$ – but I fail to see the improvement when bonds are voted on and expended. No surprise there….
April 6th, 2006 at 8:08 pmAnd now Iran is next on the agenda! When will it stop?
April 21st, 2006 at 7:01 amHow much did we have to spend to build up and fight World War II? Anyone know? Maybe we should have let the French be forcefully be converted to Germans? They cetainly don’t appreciate what we did for them. How many of our soldiers died during World War II? A lot more in the name of freedom from oppression compared to Iraq. I have read that the French lost 6000 soldiers in our fight against Britain for freedom(I adnit this might be inaccurate). Maybe the people who are so much against this should reflect and think how many soldiers would need to die to fight for their own freedom to be able to say what they want, or whether they would fight for their freedoms? If they wouldn’t, then, there you go they do not value freedom and obviuosly want to impose their views on everyone else!
January 10th, 2007 at 6:59 pmThe German and Japanese reconstruction did not have Iran and Syria funding an insurgency…The terrorist came from the middle east, Iraq is our foot hold in the middle of the middle east, give it up and you will prolong this war that was started on 4 Nov 1979… wake up, learn your history “Peace in our time”? That was said once before just prior to millions of people being killed in WWII
January 10th, 2007 at 9:11 pmHome Loans After Bankruptcy
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