Iraq operations cost 3.9 billion dollars per month: Rumsfeld

[LauraK]

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Defense Department officials put a pricetag on two major US overseas military operations, saying that commitments in Iraq cost some 3.9 billion dollars per month, while monthly US military spending in Afghanistan comes to about 950 million dollars.


US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld revealed those figures at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee. The hearing aimed to draw lessons learned from recent US military engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20030709/pl_afp/us_iraq_postwar_cost&cid=1521&ncid=1478

[Neutrino]

1. Rumsfeld said today that he would need $41Billion more

looking into 2004. (From NYT) That's what he needs. What we need
is a whole new--in Washington, D. C.

[mhr]

2. Were the Oil Fields Worth it?

eom

[NNN0LHI]

3. If we get everything running at 100% the net oil proceeds...

...would be about 15 billion per year. Don't sound like a very good deal for the American taxpayers.

Don

[tridim]

5. Not to mention, "It's the Iraqi people's oil"

So says *. As taxpayers, our return on this war is zero, and negative if you factor in the damage done to our country's credibility and the deaths of our children and innocent Iraqis. The only beneficiaries are the oil companies and Halliburton.

[CWebster]

13. and

Israel.

[htuttle]

6. That sounds like the famous George W. Bush business sense at work

He did a similar job with each of the companies he put out of business before he was Governor of Texas.

Maybe somebody should take him aside, and explain that the numbers in parenthesis are *negative*. The red ones, too.

BTW, that net $15 billion wouldn't ever get back to the U.S. -- that's the net that the oil companies that do the selling will make (and they don't keep their money here, you can bet on that).

Smedley Butler was right.

"I spent thirty- three years and four months in active military service as a member of this country's most agile military force, the Marine Corps. I served in all commissioned ranks from Second Lieutenant to Major-General. And during that period, I spent most of my time being a high class muscle- man for Big Business, for Wall Street and for the Bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism."
-- Major General Smedley Butler, USMC

[Yavin4]

25. If You Want To Explain Math To Bush*

Maybe somebody should take him aside, and explain that the numbers in parenthesis are *negative*. The red ones, too.

Good Luck To You!

[Nambe]

9. How much of that is Halliburton's KBR getting.

I read today that this is the first war supported by private industry. Kellog Brown and Root to be specific.

[OrAnarch]

10. Its not suppossed to be...

a good deal for tbe taxpayers. WE pay for it, his special intrest buddys profit from it. And that, right there, is the point of all war....shuttling the funds to the elite private sector.

[SeattleDem]

22. but, those people will create jobs for the rest of us!

ok, that's sarcasm, but that's how they sell it to the American people.

the oil companies need to make money so they can hire average joes to work for them. You don't want Americans out of jobs now do you, you communists?? Then you must rally behind the glory of our oil industry and support sending your tax dollars to them...

[Jacobin]

15. Calculations

2 million barrels a day times $25/bbl is $50 million a day times 30 days in a month is $1.5 billion a month. Troops cost $3.9 billion a month.

Another Failed Bush Oil Deal

[SeattleDem]

23. anything involving oil isn't a good deal for taxpayers

How much money have we as taxpayers spent protecting Occidental Petroleum's pipelines in Colombia these many years?

We spend billions to secure our access to cheap oil, which we as consumers then turn around and pay $1.50/gallon or so for.

I wish someone would calculate the cost of oil industry corporate welfare, including defense costs, to give us the "true" cost per gallon. I'm sure it would be astronomical. Then you could ask people - wouldn't you rather have more of your own money in your pocket? It's your money afterall, why should vast sums of it be going to Occidental Petroleum or Halliburton....

[tedzbear]

26. The USA has been subsidizing the oil industry for years...

Farming isn't the only industry that gets subsidies; big oil does too.
It's a shame that our government finds it necessary to subsidize our oil companies to the tune of billions of dollars in military expenses (including Iraq war) and who knows what else.
Too bad we can't hand ExxonMobil & ChevronTexaco the bill for the Iraqi war. They sure will benefit from it!
I imagine the day will come post "peak oil" when the government will finally decide that making the world safe for big oil just isn't worth it anymore.
Hopefully, they will spend all that $ on alternate energy source research instead.
:kick:

[jpak]

4. $45 billion for 112 billion barrels of I-raqi oil

That comes to about $2.50 a barrel per year of occupation.

Such a deal.

[jpak]

19. Oops -

more like $0.40 per barrel per year of occupation...

Now that's a REAL steal.

[KAZ]

24. I believe oil output is projected to be about 500M barrels the coming year

If the infrastructure doesn't keep getting blow'd up. On my calculator that's about $82/bbl. Plus the current market price of $30. So paying $112/bbl is a good deal how?

[jpak]

27. it was sarcasm

I-raq's proven reserves are currently 112 billion barrels - and we control every drop of it.

$45 billion a year for "upkeep" on our new acquisition (militarily insignificant casualties aside) is peanuts for ChimpCo.

[Topaz]

7. *sigh*

Meanwhile, millions are out of jobs, and teachers and educational programs are being cut left and right....all because of money.

[karlschneider]

8. About 1500 dollars every second.

Fifteen grand while I typed this short post.
Marvelous.

[DoYouEverWonder]

11. Give me back the tax and spend liberals

At least they were spending the money on us.

Instead what we have now is the spend and spend neocons, who are doing everything they can to bankrupt the US economy. Has anyone ever noticed that the only way the chimp in chief knows how to make money is through bankruptcy?

[revcarol]

12. Where did those figures come from?

BYRD ASKED HIM AND ASKED HIM AND ASKED HIM...REALLY DUG AT HIM,GOT NO ANSWERS and NOW all of a sudden he supposedly said the figures in the hearing? Something smells!!

[Gin]

14. it's from an official source..a department...can't recall which one...

I want a breakdown on where the money is going. That would be enlighteneing!

[SoCalDem]

16. You KNOW he's low-balling it

If he says 3.9, it's probably 9.3.. He can always claim he's dyslexic, when someone calls him on it, or he'll just smile and tell them they are being "unhelpful"..:(

[goforit]

17. Does this money include the high intelligence facility the PNAC is

building in Iraq????

Who is keeping track of where and to whom the money is going to?

I suggest we send the bill to Haliburton and Exxon/Mobile!!!!!

:argh:

[Zero Gravitas]

18. Only 3.9bn/month?

Time for another tax-xut for all those making over $250,000 a year (see they care about ordinary people not just un-indited CEOs making 5 million a year).

[barbaraann]

20. Loot and Bankrupt Republicans

That's what I call them.

[GOPBasher]

21. How many teachers or cops could've been hired for that money?

Nice priorities these fricking people have. I'm pissed. :argh:

[Nottingham]

28. Byrd ask him for numbers yesterday! WHOAH! 3.9 Bill

OMG!! This is Nutsoid! :crazy:

American people better get this money back from this Guys!

:bounce: