Aug 2: Ludicrous Estimate of War’s Cost

In printing “Operations [for the whole war on terror] Estimated to Cost $1 Trillion by 2017” on the front page, the J deliberately misled its readers with an estimate that is ABSURD.

The Congressional Budget Office reports that Congress has ALREADY appropriated more than $ 600 Billion.

In January two Nobel Prize winning economists estimated the “real” cost of the war (including future veteran benefits, replacing worn out equipment, etc.) at $2 Trillion. With the Surge’s additional costs, those estimates would certainly be higher today.

Back to the J fantasy, the White House estimates we will spend $ 150-170 Billion next year. That is three quarters of a trillion ALREADY.

Would anyone in their right mind believe that the next TEN years would only cost another $ 250 Billion? Obvously, we must leave the J out of the “right mind” category.

Also, one must wonder why the article has no background . . . like the White House original estimate that the war would cost $50 Billion. Or, how about Wolfowitz’s statement that Iraq’s oil would pay for the war??