Pentagon says Iraq war has cost U.S. $48 billion

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N15312383.htm

WASHINGTON, July 15 (Reuters) - The Defense Department said on Tuesday military expenses for the Iraq war and its aftermath have cost the United States $48 billion to date, with a monthly price tag over the next couple of months estimated at more than $3.9 billion.

Under Secretary of Defense Dov Zakheim, the Pentagon's comptroller, has determined that the actual combat phase of the war, from March 20 to May 1, cost roughly $5 billion, according to a defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The official said Zakheim estimates that the buildup to the war -- moving troops, equipment and weapons into the region and setting up facilities there -- cost about $30 billion before a single shot was fired.

The official said the Defense Department has forecast monthly costs of the current postwar stabilization effort at between $3.9 billion $4 billion through the end of the U.S. fiscal year on Sept. 30.

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[DagmarK]

1. Yeah right...the Pentagon tracking money again......bullcorn!

They lost $3 trillion dollars.....

And they are liars.

And when you are speaking costs...sheesh...where do your start to add up the costs?

[teryang]

2. This war damages business confidence

...and has caused untold damage to the economy, which is not even mentioned by anyone.

[karlschneider]

3. A little math reveals it in a way possibly more graspable by the public

Six Million Dollars an Hour.
Or ~$1670 per second. Every second, 24/7.
I've been using that last figure talking with some of the braindead idiots here in the bible belt. It gets their attention.
:eyes:

[Frances]

4. I'm glad that you are talking to these people

because the GOP brainwashed them into believing that the Democrats are the tax and spend party. As we speak the GOP is blaming the deficit on Democrats and their spending. So when you talk about the cost of the war, remind them that the war is a cause of the deficit.