Can you say "I told you so" boys and girls?
Well, now it's official. L. T. Smash will get to "see it through to the end." The mightiest military to ever walk the face of the earth will be walking the face of Iraq for the forseeable future.
Rumsfeld Doubles Estimate for Cost of Troops in IraqBy THOM SHANKER
WASHINGTON, July 9 - Gen. Tommy R. Franks said today that violence and uncertainty in Iraq made it unlikely that troop levels would be reduced "for the foreseeable future," and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld nearly doubled the estimated military costs there to $3.9 billion a month.
"We have about 145,000 troops in there right now," General Franks told the Senate Armed Services Committee. He said he had talked to "commanders at every level inside Iraq," and found that the size and structure of those forces were appropriate for the current situation.
Mr. Rumsfeld has never laid out a timetable for bringing American troops home, and has repeatedly pledged that the forces would stay as long as required, but no longer. Even so, the acknowledgement today of the scope of the long-term military commitment to Iraq was the strongest indication to date that the reconstruction effort requires the continued deployment of large numbers of troops - and that the undertaking carries a hefty price tag.
Three billion, nine hundred million dollars per month. Forty six billion, eight hundred million dollars per year.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 7/10/2003 08:07:28 AM |
Posted by P6 at July 10, 2003 08:07 AM
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