U.S. to spend more than $6 billion in Iraq next year

[Playinghardball]

Source: Raw Story

BAGHDAD — The United States is to spend more than $6 billion in Iraq in 2012 even though its forces are to withdraw from the country by the end of this year, US ambassador James Jeffrey said on Sunday.

US President Barack Obama announced on October 21 that the last troops would leave by year’s end, but Baghdad will still host the largest American embassy in the world, with a full US mission to Iraq to include up to 16,000 people.

“We are standing up an embassy to carry out a $6.5 billion programme, when you throw in the refugee programmes as well as the actual State Department budget for 2012, of assistance in support for Iraq on a very broad variety of security and non-security issues,” Jeffrey told reporters at a roundtable.

“The direct budget, operating and assistance (to Iraq), was $6.2 billion,” Jeffrey said.

More at: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/11/27/u-s-to-spend-more-than-6-billion-in-iraq-next-year/

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Screw Iraq...spend the $6 billion here!!

[Schema Thing]

1. how does that compare to 2010?

[earthside]

5. Who cares?

We're running a $15 trillion federal debt ... we cannot even afford $6 billion when we have a 20 percent effective unemployment rate.

[Schema Thing]

7. any intelligent human

[Octafish]

2. As long as we get dibs on the oil.

It's worth it.

:sarcasm:

[Lorien]

4. "We" being the multinational corporations who will sell it

to China and India.

[tblue]

6. Exactly. The only thing "we" get is the bill.

We are paying for the Energy/MIC to rip off the Iraqi people and keep a boot on their neck. What a freaking mess.

[JoePhilly]

3. This artcile says 12B per month in 2008 .... I recall estimates of 9B a month earlier on

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/10/studies-iraq-costs-us-12b_n_90694.html

[RC]

8. We already screwed Iraq, now it is our turn to be screwed.