Bush Refuses To Estimate Future Costs of Iraq War, Violating Federal Law
Bush Refuses To Estimate Future Costs of Iraq War, Violating Federal Law
Congress passed a law requiring the Bush administration to estimate the future costs of the war in Iraq. Here’s an excerpt:
The President shall provide to the Congress a report detailing the estimated costs over the period from fiscal year 2006 to 2011 of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, or any related military operations in and around Iraq and Afghanistan, and the estimated costs of reconstruction, internal security, and related economic support to Iraq and Afghanistan… the report referenced above shall be submitted no later than January 1, 2005.
There is an exemption if the administration certifies that estimates “cannot be provided for purposes of national security.” But the President hasn’t done that. From Bloomberg:
Instead of a presidential waiver, Joshua Bolton, director of the Office of Management and Budget, wrote congressional leaders in May 2005 that the Pentagon couldn’t compile the estimates because “there are too many variables to predict accurately.”
Rep. Chris Shays (R-CT) isn’t happy:
The Bush administration hasn’t followed a 2005 law requiring the Pentagon to estimate the cost of Iraq and Afghanistan military operations through 2011, a Republican lawmaker said today.
“The administration does not appear to have compiled with a statutory requirement to provide Congress with a report,” wrote Representative Christopher Shays in a letter to the chairmen of the House and Senate armed services and appropriations committees.
Shays has good reason to be concerned about mounting costs. Total appropriations for Iraq by Congress will soon exceed $400 billion.
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82 Responses to “Bush Refuses To Estimate Future Costs of Iraq War, Violating Federal Law”
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It may be easier, and take less space, if we begin listing the federal laws that Bushco has NOT violated.
July 21st, 2006 at 1:54 pmIt’s truly a sad state of affairs when the headline “Bush Violates Federal Law” is ‘old news’.
If we don’t get him and his cronies impeached by 2008, there won’t be a 2008 election…not even the puppet shows that were put on for our benefit in 2000, 2002, and 2004.
July 21st, 2006 at 1:55 pmIs there ANYTHING they won’t claim as “national security”???? How in the hell can Iraq cost estimates possibly be a “natioinal security” issue?
July 21st, 2006 at 1:58 pmStop the funds to this illegal and immoral war, take back the congress and impeach the chimp and shooter cheney…the world will get back to normal…for forty years or so.
July 21st, 2006 at 1:58 pmwhen you have to admit, that the Iraq war will cost billions more, it might effect the elections in November, and the republicans may lose seats, and power. To them it is a national security issue.
July 21st, 2006 at 1:59 pmWho is surprised by Bush refusing to follow the law?
July 21st, 2006 at 2:06 pmOh well. Too bad.
The war has prolonged because the Democrats have enabled it to do so.
The costs aren’t in the budgets, anyway. So who cares?
Certainly not the Democrats.
Vote Indeendent. Vote for Moral Foreign Policy.
July 21st, 2006 at 2:11 pmCome on… he’s the president… Congress can’t tell the president what to do.
July 21st, 2006 at 2:11 pmHe is so painfully stupid, yet so dangerous, What the hell is it going to take?
July 21st, 2006 at 2:15 pmThe administration does not appear to have compiled with a statutory requirement to provide Congress with a report,â€
Hmmm…does not appear? How about finding out for sure before you start shooting your mouth off?
July 21st, 2006 at 2:16 pmThat your president and its administration ignore your laws and defiles your Constitution is not news. What’s news is that you all are too incompetent and/or scared to do anything about it.
Do you see that reality?
Peace.
July 21st, 2006 at 2:18 pmI will say that I have absolutely no patience left for the anti-humanitarians who pollute these threads. I don’t deal with them in my real life, and I certainly refuse to deal with them here anymore. If only they realized just how very stupid they look. Sociopaths, one and all.
July 21st, 2006 at 2:19 pmAnt brain,
Some people just know how to be polite when accusing someone.
Joshua Bolton… wrote congressional leaders in May 2005 that the Pentagon couldn’t compile the estimates because “there are too many variables to predict accurately.’’
-sounds pretty damn absolute to me, NO REPORT.
July 21st, 2006 at 2:19 pmCongress passed a law requiring the Bush administration to estimate the future costs of the war in Iraq.
the Pentagon couldn’t compile the estimates because “there are too many variables to predict accurately.’’
Guess its kind of hard to compile the cost of this war up to 2011. I mean in order to show the cost to Congress they would have to find about 100,000 dead bodies and dumptruck them to the Capitol Building.
July 21st, 2006 at 2:20 pm“…high crimes and misdemeanors…” What could be a higher crime than violating Federal law? Why did he not file impeachment proceedings? Why doesn’t Congress use their collective brain instead of their collective mouth? The answer to all above–they are Republicans, they have no brains, they are above trivial things such as Federal Law. That stuff is all to keep the others in line.
There is the old story about the meanest animal on earth being a crocodile with a head on both ends. The question–How does he defecate. The answer–he doesn’t, that’s what makes him so mean. The new story about the dumbest animal on earth being a Republican with an anus on both ends. The question—How does he think? The answer–he doesn’t, that’s what makes him a Republican.
July 21st, 2006 at 2:21 pm[…] Bush is violating yet another federal law. This time it’s the law requiring him to “provide to the Congress a report detailing the estimated costs over the period from fiscal year 2006 to 2011 of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.” Why? Not national security. Because “there are too many variables.” […]
July 21st, 2006 at 2:24 pm#15
Which party has an ass for a mascot?
July 21st, 2006 at 2:25 pmJust call it “Operation Unending Spending.” The treasury is already empty, so I imagine they’ll lose interest pretty soon.
July 21st, 2006 at 2:26 pmStop the funds to this illegal and immoral war, take back the congress and impeach the chimp and shooter cheney…the world will get back to normal…for forty years or so.
Unfortunately not the case
July 21st, 2006 at 2:27 pm1/ more people are anti american that will last at least 50 years, even my children are anti american and they are 5,7,9
2/ America will never get back to normal ( diebold voting machines , democrats and republicans are part and parcel, There big secret is there just as bad as each other ,,,meanwhile 100 years past and nothing has got any better-Now your children go through the same old shit - politicians game plan
what’s news? why won’t someone arrest them? do we need a military coup? I think that may be the only thing that will save us from the insanity in our triad of incompetents
July 21st, 2006 at 2:30 pmAnt fart,
Which party is represented by an animal which in no way shares any qualities (highly intelligent, never forgets, caring) of it’s party affiliates? And I’d say the size of an elephant’s ass is right on par with excess laden Republican fat-asses.
I’m so damn sick of brainwashed, right-wing propaganda spouting jackasses, I’ve actually debated, discussed and argued my own dear mother into believing (albeit somewhat on her own) that the current administration is criminal in it’s behavior. She’s a life-long Republican, and yes, I’ve actually assaulted her baseless, factless GOP talking points with historical and empirical facts and tempered emotion, to the point that she’s finally getting the picture.
People, that is what it’s going to take. Waxing poetically here is not going to change things. Get in people’s faces, force them to back up their Faux news feed “facts”. It works, but you have to be passionate, vigilant, and sometimes, rude. Quite remaining silent among peers when you hear bullshit propaganda being passed around the water cooler.
GET INVOLVED. BE LOUD, BE HEARD.
July 21st, 2006 at 2:32 pmWhich party has an ass for a mascot?
Comment by Antagonist — July 21, 2006 @ 2:25 pm
Which party has an ass for a president?
July 21st, 2006 at 2:32 pmIn September of 2001, following the deadliest attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor, mild-mannered president George W. Bush was exposed to a near-lethal dose of Article II powers. He survived, but now, whenever Bush faced with the dastardly threat of judicial or congressional oversight his Article II powers are unleashed and he becomes… The Incredible Decider.
Decider smash your puny laws!
Can his rampage through the halls of power be thwarted? Find out November 7th, 2006!
July 21st, 2006 at 2:33 pmYou all must check this out:
Go to your favorite search engine. Enter the terms (school funding cut) and review any of the hundreds of pages of articles that are the yield of such a search. Spot a trend? Operation “Shock and Awe†was all over the media when we began the pre-emptive military offensive in Iraq on our search for WMD. However the media has been silent about an operation conducted in America called “Numb’er and Dumb’erâ€. And no, it has nothing to do with Cheney’s heart and Bush’s brain. And the attack in America began long before Mr. Bush took office.
A quality education is a very dangerous weapon in the hands of society. However do not take my word for it. I obtained the following document as part of the Freedom of Information Act. I have been unable to ascertain whether it was simply a page that was lost as part of Lewis Powell’s original memo to Eugene Sydnor, Jr, or perhaps a separate document altogether that was not even written by Lewis Powell. Nevertheless, the document passes the Stephen Colbert “Truthiness†test.
Top Secret: Operation Numb and Dumb, Our Supplemental Plan to Takeover America
-clip-
Education K-12
July 21st, 2006 at 2:35 pmWe must diminish the infrastructure of education in America. We can do this by shifting our spending from education to military programs. This will have a self-perpetuating impact upon schools. By reducing funding for K-12, classrooms will become overcrowded. The quality and safety of schools will decrease. Affluent and middle-class parents will shift their children from public schools to private schools. This will accelerate the decline and erode the public education infrastructure. Impoverished youth forced to remain in public schools will lose enthusiasm for furthering their education. There is a secondary benefit here that can lead to an increase in military recruitment and to the growth of the future privatized prison industry.
#22-Bob,
I find little time for humor, especially with the seriousness of current world events, but that was just downright funny. Thank you, sir, for the laugh.
Peace.
July 21st, 2006 at 2:36 pmYou mean people are still calling this a “war on Iraq”? How can that be? It’s certianly more an occupation than a real live war. Iraq has it’s own government–is it the same government we are at “war” with? When does Iraq surrender to Bush ?
July 21st, 2006 at 2:38 pmLaws schmaws. Now get me some wimmin’ I can grope or a Negro to slap. I mean now!
-George W. Batshit Crazy Bush
July 21st, 2006 at 2:40 pmHas anyone checked? Maybe Bush wrote a sigining statement that said he didn’t have to follow the law.
July 21st, 2006 at 2:41 pmNo surprise on this by Bush, because the Iraq fiasco will probably cost a few trillion before it ends, if it ever ends for that matter, since Dubya claims that Hillary will continue his Iraqi policy for 4 to 8 years of her presidency, starting in January 2009!
July 21st, 2006 at 2:42 pmThe only logical reason for Bush and his cronies to not follow this law is if they are afraid something will come out that makes them look bad. Otherwise who cares? It’s only an estimare and therefore nobody expects them to be exact and congress will listen if they need extra due to various reasons.
I can think of not one single good reason for them NOT to follow this law unless they are spending that money in inproper ways. I think this calls for a serious audit and/or no more money should be approved until the law is followed.
July 21st, 2006 at 2:44 pmChimpeachment would be a good start…after we get the rubbestamp do nothings out of congress in January.
July 21st, 2006 at 2:45 pm9 billion in debt already
+2 billion a day multiplied by one year = 720 billion per year
dont forget interest as you are borrowing the money from china
At the moment every man, women and child in America owes $26,000
looks like the chinese will be buying Nike training shoes made by american children any day soon.
Hold on to the american dream cause its bullshit
July 21st, 2006 at 2:47 pmPresident Andrew Jackson made the donkey the symbol of the democratic party because he thought it funny his critics called him Jackass Jackson.
July 21st, 2006 at 2:49 pm#30
A good place to start would be with the $600 million PROFIT by Haliburton in 3 MONTHS. $1.2Billion per year for 3 years equals 1% of the total spent in Iraq for JUST HALIBURTON PROFIT.
July 21st, 2006 at 2:55 pmPost 32 > I think you mean trillion!
July 21st, 2006 at 2:59 pm‘Humanist’ is a genious. Your comment on #11 is pure fact. Why don’t “we” see the reality? I see it. Other thoughtful folks see it sometimes too. Why can’t we all see it together - all at once. Then the Bu$hco house of cards will tumble.
It will take +/- 30 years to work our way back from all of this nonsense and insanity. I hoipe I will be alive when that happens. God Bless America!
July 21st, 2006 at 3:15 pmdid you check the signing statement?
July 21st, 2006 at 3:46 pm#37 - you beat me to it… It must have been one of those signing statements, you know, the ones that Bush THINKS exempts him from the law.
This administration has lied so often that the lies are becoming more entangled. So many lies… no wonder Bush looks so tired and grumpy lately. Or is that because traitor Rove and darth Cheney told Bushie he needs to WORK and postpone his vacation.
Has anyone else noticed how physically bad Bush is looking lately? And his behavior is really regressing… yesterday he was shouting at the audience at the NAACP meeting.
July 21st, 2006 at 4:17 pmIf you get a chance to watch the rebroadcast of the David Walker interview on C-Span this morning, it was very informative. He is comptroller-general of the GAO.
July 21st, 2006 at 4:22 pmThe chicanery and shenanigans on the budget for this war and other matters is appalling. And he has worked for Reagan, GHWB, Clinton and GWB.
He is non-partisan, knowledgeable, articulate and very concerned.
Vote Indeendent. Vote for Moral Foreign Policy.
Comment by Total Information Awareness — July 21, 2006 @ 2:11 pm
Now that’s a stupid statement. You can only vote for an Independent if an Independent is on the ballot. And a write-in would certainly cause chaos in a State or National election.
Your statements are a new GOP message. I can see through your dishonesty.
July 21st, 2006 at 4:23 pm[…] Think Progress […]
July 21st, 2006 at 4:23 pmThe new story about the dumbest animal on earth being a Republican with an anus on both ends. The question—How does he think? The answer–he doesn’t, that’s what makes him a Republican.
Comment by Clyde the Ripper — July 21, 2006 @
Thanks for making me laugh, Clyde. Too bad it’s true.
July 21st, 2006 at 4:26 pm#17
July 21st, 2006 at 4:29 pmAn ass (donkey) is a strong, hardworking animal - and if you believe in the Bible - an ass bore the pregnant Mary, and Jesus often relied on an ass in his travels.
The ass in the White House is the vulgar jackass - the stubborn, obstinant, and ignorant version.
Marie,
The kind with an anus on both ends.
July 21st, 2006 at 4:41 pm#24 madashell.
Your posting looks like something right out of traitor Rove’s guidance manual. The date is 1971, so that would make it just around the time that Nixon was impeached which made Rumsfeld and Cheney very upset, along with upsetting the little weasel Rove. An interesting read… I’ve suspected that the goal of the neocons is to “dumb down Americans.” Thanks for the link.
Give peace a chance.
July 21st, 2006 at 4:42 pmOf course Bush can’t provide an accurate estimate through 2011. As you recall, Bush decided in recent months to let the next president make the decision as to our plans in Iraq after Jan. 2009.
July 21st, 2006 at 5:06 pmA bit off-topic, but related to the pathetic excuse of an administration.
From the “And You Didn’t Think It Could Get Any Worse” Dept.:
From Dailykos.com:
In the ongoing saga produced by the Bush administration known as “Honey! I Shrunk the Congress!,” it appears that that the executive branch has once again strongarmed an end run around legislators by rushing a sale of F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.
Another “F*ck You” from the WH to the Congress. Sheesh.
July 21st, 2006 at 5:21 pmOh…the news in #47 is from the Associated Press. Link is at dailykos.
July 21st, 2006 at 5:21 pmAbsolute horse manure. So many variables? Try one. We have no policy, and no policy cannot change, so things will go on exactly as they are going now, which means costs will be exactly what they are now. This is ridiculous.
July 21st, 2006 at 5:25 pmIt’s a GREAT time to be a banker! No one in office has a clue or plan for the future for anyone or anything for this country except they are doing a great job converting it to a police state. Take out the Constitution, Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence out with the trash. The Statue of Liberty stands for nothing so how about sending it back where it came from. The Secret State of America is watching you.
July 21st, 2006 at 5:52 pm#22; You should stick with the facts; we have an assHOLE for prez.
July 21st, 2006 at 6:19 pmThe compressed timetable “represents a deliberate and wholly inappropriate maneuver by the State Department to diminish the Congress’ lawful oversight of arms sales,†said GOP Rep. Henry Hyde of Illinois, chairman of the House International Relations Committee.
Another “F*ck You†from the WH to the Congress. Sheesh.
Comment by WC — July 21, 2006 @ 5:21 pm
Strangely enough, this could be good news. If Republicans like Henry Hyde are getting pissed off (as both sides also were about the FBI raid on Rep. Jefferson’s offices), they might finally be beginning to wake up. Without the cooperation (and anger) of Republicans, Bush can’t be stopped.
July 21st, 2006 at 6:24 pmProsecute him to the fullest extent of the law…
…THEN hang him…
July 21st, 2006 at 6:54 pmWhat do you think…
…he’s stupid?
hahahahahahahahahaha!!!!
July 21st, 2006 at 7:17 pmEvery swinging dick in the House of Representatives is up for re-election in November. If we tell them enough that we have had enough, they will listen. I live in district that has no democrat to vote for but I damned sure make that rubberstamp idiot lie to me about why he votes the way he does. These bastards all work for us. They get paid with our tax dollars. They all took an oath to uphold the constitution agianst all enemies foriegn and DOMESTIC…that is what Dubya is. He is an enemy to our constitutional rights and he gets away with it by lying about terrorism. It is time to realize that living without freedom is not so good so get over the being dead shit. We should realize why our forefathers were willing to die for liberty. Be active, write and call your employees, let them know that we have had enough.
Vote the batards out in November.
July 21st, 2006 at 9:00 pmYou’ve done the talking Rep Shays, now what do you plan on doing about it?
July 21st, 2006 at 9:06 pmEach of us must take a stand or we will one day all pay for Bush’s folly!
July 21st, 2006 at 10:24 pmZooey, he is going to do exactly what his supposedly moderate brethren like Speculum and Kegel have done. Absolutely nothing.
July 21st, 2006 at 10:56 pmStrangely enough, this could be good news. If Republicans like Henry Hyde are getting pissed off (as both sides also were about the FBI raid on Rep. Jefferson’s offices), they might finally be beginning to wake up. Without the cooperation (and anger) of Republicans, Bush can’t be stopped.
Comment by Impeachcheneythenbush — July 21, 2006 @ 6:24 pm
Could be. But until people like Hyde do something other than sit on their asses and open their mouths to utter a complaint every now and then, I’m not holding out much hope.
July 21st, 2006 at 11:33 pm#17 Democrats are sexy, who ever heard of a good piece of Elephant?
July 22nd, 2006 at 2:48 amI think Rep. Shays was the head of the ‘Veterans Affairs’ Committee, until he started asking for more money for the VA, because BushCo had seriously underestimated the increase of those needing VA services. So for speaking up, he got the boot. Good for him, to do so again. He knows how they are.
July 22nd, 2006 at 6:53 am“I’m the decider, I decide what laws to follow. the Constitution is just a god damned piece of paper. it would be easier in a dicatorship, as long as I’m the dictator”– George W. Bush
July 22nd, 2006 at 7:37 amDemocrats and Republicans lashed out at the State Department for giving them only 30 days to consider the deal; that period runs out next week. The administration, they say, failed to provide a traditional extra 20 days.
July 22nd, 2006 at 9:23 amIf Congress wasn’t so obsessed with flag burning, gay marriage and other nonsense, maybe they would pay close attention to the real issues facing this nation.
This is just another in the long lines of impeachable offense by these jackasses. I say it’s time for America to fire all the politicians in DC and hire new ones (we would do good to move the capitol to the most international cities we have also.) This system that is currently used as a poor excuse for government has got to change or we all will become the victims of that which we have tolerated. I ask you would you like to live in a war zone similar to Baghdad, Beirut or the majority of Eastern Africa? People follow the decline of our society to it’s logical conclussion and you will see just that scenario is what awaits us.
July 22nd, 2006 at 3:33 pmRegarding the dumbing down of our country: I taught school for 33 years and saw this coming with the Standards Testing and the high pressure NCLB program. They result in teaching kids HOW to take tests and not how to learn important skills. The assumption is that all kids are academically inclined and as a result, vacational skills are shorted and many times cut from curriculums. If basic education is slighted in favor of test preparation, a dumbed down population is formed and a dumbed down population is easier to control. I sometimes wonder if the cutting back on vocational programs is related to ridding the country of labor unions which has been a goal of the Republicans from the time of Reagan.
July 22nd, 2006 at 5:16 pmJust one more thing you can add onto the ever increasing list of impeachable offenses!!!When are we going to get rid of this flippin idiot!!!!!!!!
July 22nd, 2006 at 6:05 pmWhy doesn’t Congress ask Halliburton for their profit forecast through 2011 - I bet they’ve done extensive research and have a roomful of accountants who know exactly how much this is going to cost, and how much they are going to profit from it.
July 22nd, 2006 at 8:18 pmAntagonist (comment #17) asked which party has an ass for a mascot…my question is which party mascot puts out the most crap
July 22nd, 2006 at 11:38 pmThe war has prolonged because the Democrats have enabled it to do so.
I think so!!
July 23rd, 2006 at 8:50 amMaybe Congress should stop approving the additional funding of the Iraq war.
July 23rd, 2006 at 11:26 amI’d like to see a new reality TV show, perhaps called “Neocon Island.†Here all the neocons are gathered. The toture they employ on others is now employed on them. The object of the game is to see who can hold out the longest. I bet the “bubble-boy†is the first to crack.
Only then would get at any real truth. Besides it would be the number one rated show in all of history.
July 23rd, 2006 at 2:30 pmDemocrats are sexy, who ever heard of a good piece of Elephant?
Comment by Cyra Brown #62
Great comeback!
July 23rd, 2006 at 5:10 pm400 billion. Let’s see that could have built about 114 nuclear powered Nimitz class aircraft carriers & kept 20,000 people employed building them for the next 684 years. It could of made our military pretty invincible.
GOP strong on defense my ass! This is an illustration of how Bush’s policies are making us weaker.
How much body armor would 400 billion buy?
How many ports would 400 billion secure?
How much health care could 400 billion provide? We could of had free universal health care for all.
How many cures for diseases would 400 billion worth of research provide?
How much alternative energy could 400 billion develop?
How many jobs could 400 billion provide?
How many roads could 400 billion repair?
How much hurricane relief could 400 billion provide?
How many levees could 400 billion build?
How much polution could 400 billion clean up?
Bush has been a disaster for America. Bush is the culture of death.
July 24th, 2006 at 9:28 amThis so-called Constitutional crisis over the presumption of monarchial power by the executive branch and the fiasco in Iraq is wholly the fault of Congress, which has aided, abetted and otherwise empowered it and could end it tomorrow by cutting off its money
July 24th, 2006 at 11:52 amThe only way to get the attention of the people in power is to talk with money. Cut off the supply.
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