Brother, can you spare a trillion?

Iraq Costs Said to Hit $320 Bln, Then Double Before War Ends

April 27 (Bloomberg) -- The cost of the war in Iraq will hit $320 billion once Congress approves an emergency spending measure that's now before the Senate, and that figure probably will double before the war ends, according to the Congressional Research Service.

The cost in fiscal 2006 alone will reach $101.8 billion, double the $51 billion spent in fiscal 2003, the nonpartisan service said. Even if U.S. troops start to leave this year, the total costs of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan will jump by $371 billion during the withdrawal, the report said, citing an estimate from the Congressional Budget office.

The total estimated cost of the two conflicts is now $811 billion, far surpassing the inflation-adjusted $549 billion spent on the Vietnam War, the service said.


And that's just what they are willing to tell us. Add in the off-book amounts (like state National Guard equipment that is destroyed, hidden contracts, ongoing expenses, and the stuff they are just lying about) abd the numbers become even more frightening.