What Did the Iraq War Cost? More Than You Think.

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After 9/11 - we entered the War on Iraq based on a lie. We as Americans were lied to by our government. After Saddam was captured we should have simply killed him and left Iraq.
Every American who was injured or died - was injured or died for nothing.
Bush was the only US president in history to lower taxes in the middle of a war.
Saying the war helped the economy is insane. That is the same as someone who $50,000 in debt claiming he was helping the economy by spending.
Reagan would turn over in his grave if he could based on what the current group of congressman and senators are doing.
Reagan was known for supporting a balanced budget - something the present "borrow and spend" group in congress obviously doesn't support.
Obama did more to help the ecomony by ending the War than Bush did by starting it.

Angry as Hell of NY 9:20PM December 24, 2011

As usual, we are being lied to. Roughly 60% of GDP is spent on the military-police state. Yes, they always claim the "welfare" state is bigger than the military spending, but it isn't, the military state has huge secret funds.
We need to keep some level of military-police spending in peacetime, so I am happy to subtract this from total military spending, and the remainder is the cost of war. Over 10 years, by my very rough estimate, the three wars have cost us about $7 trillion, half of our obscene national debt.
Three wars? Iraq, Afghanistan, and America. Make no mistake about it, huge sums are now spent spying on Americans. I'm sure there are covert wars I know nothing about.
Some of this money went into private hands, enriching the 1%, some of it is in armaments we still have. Neither pays the debt.

Oneye of AK 6:10AM December 22, 2011

I think there should be a public listing of all the INDIVDUALS who benefitted financially from this war.

liam macniallais of NJ 4:51AM December 18, 2011

Sorry...
The 2010 cost of the Iraqi war was 125 billion dollars. That is 9% of the 2010 budget deficit.....for 2010.....the total cost of the war was 1 trillion dollars....that is 350 billion dollars less than what we over spent in ONE year (2010)!!!!!

Jeff of LA 12:57PM December 16, 2011

Ok, please correct me of I'm wrong. But doing some quick calculations in my head...... The war cost 1 trillion dollars..... The 2010 budget deficit (what we spent OVER budget) was 1.35 trillion.... That means that the war accounted for approximately 9% of the budget deficit..... Seriously, let's not blame the Iraqi war for our budget problems. Let's blame our congress for thinking we are to stupid to see that they can't be trusted with a check book!

Jeff of LA 12:51PM December 16, 2011

This was the biggest blunder by a US President costing more in Human Lives and wounded at the expense of misinformation citing Missiles of Mass Destruction which were never found. Once knowing this was not the case, our troops should have pulled out of Iraqi and returned saving lives and wounded.

Louis trujillo of CO 8:03AM December 16, 2011

You can thank former (first) female Supreme Court Justice, Sandra Day O'Connor, for both the Iraq war and the current economic mess. She was the swing vote on Bush v. Gore that appointed the wrong (unelected) president and the wrong philosophies. A cowgirl woman was SUPPOSED to know better than this, but nooooooo, she didn't. Tragic.

Muser of NM 6:58PM December 15, 2011

War spending improves GDP??? Q. Where does government get the money to buy the goods and pay the men to fight? A. Debt and taxes, and debt is retired with taxes so taxation is the only way to finance a war. How does taxation grow the economy?
I'd rewrite this article to read, "... - which is obvious to anyone who slept through econ 101 -" This theory sounds about as plausible as fairy dust or unicorns for boosting GDP.
I suppose Hurricane Katrina revitalized the deep south? And influenza outbreaks and HIV-AIDS must also goose GDP to higher levels? If I smash windows at night and sell new ones during the day then I too can boost GDP, right?
The enemy is ignorance.

Shane Morris of WI 2:47PM December 15, 2011