Iraq and Afghanistan War Cost 10 years on

[OneFootInTheGrave]

2 Trillion already - I was not aware it was that high by now, I though it was in 700-800bn range... and looking like 4-6tn over the course of life from all war veterans. Most expensive war ever?

Good old 2002... it all started like this

President Bush's chief economic adviser estimates that the U.S. may have to spend between $100 billion and $200 billion to wage a war in Iraq, but doubts that the hostilities would push the nation into recession or a sustained period of inflation.

Lawrence Lindsey, head of the White House's National Economic Council, projected the "upper bound" of war costs at between 1% and 2% of U.S. gross domestic product. With the U.S. GDP at about $10 trillion per year, that translates into a one-time cost of $100 billion to $200 billion. That is considerably higher than a preliminary, ...

and the guy (who also prepared you the gift that was Bush tax cuts) got fired for estimating too high cost which was supposed to be in 60bn range. It is also interesting that over the years neither democrats or republicans had the guts to stop the rot and say "that has been enough", not at 2x estimates not at 5x estimates or later.

As el Desperado said:

"We had an accountability moment, and that's called the 2004 elections,"

When accountability goes down to that, well... hillarity ensues.

[MRT144]

Thanks Obama!

[MrFun]

If Obama had ended the wars sooner, Republithugs would label him as a spineless coward who doesn't take defending our country seriously.

With Obama continuing the war, whiney far-lefties with bleeding hearts label him as a conqueror and imperialist.

[giblets]

Thanks Democrats who voted for the war.

[Alexander's Horse]

I knew in 2008 after the GFC that it was only a matter of time before we would be out of Afghanistan.

[OneFootInTheGrave]

Only a matter of time? It's 2013 now... did not quite pan out that way, unless you thought NATO is going to annex Afghanistan and stay forever?

[Alexander's Horse]

some of us came to that conclusion faster than others

[OneFootInTheGrave]

btw - I did not see you post this anywhere, so to ask - what is the best local Afghan dish? Just for general knowledge, even though there is very close to 0% chance that I will ever set my foot there.

[Dinner]

Locally, the main effect of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, besides all the vets and the business for the local defense contractors, has been the immigration of ~20,000 Iraqis (mostly Chaldeans and Assyrians who are Christians) into the county meaning we get all the benefits of good middle eastern restaurants without having to worry about Islamic terrorists.

Most of the Afghans who have come to the California have settled in either LA or Fremont but we got a few here too. Basically just enough to open a few restaurants but none of them are all that good (unlike the Iraqi ones) so I basically tried each one once and never went back. To compare El Cajon (out in San Diego's east county) has practically turned into a little Baghdad which has pissed off the poor white trash who formerly had the run of the place. Despite the tensions between the lower class whites and the new comers it seems to be working out.

[Dinner]

A quarter of Iraqi refugees to the U.S. settle in San Diego County.^[8] In 2010, Iraqis made up about one-quarter of El Cajon's population of 96,000, with an estimated 7,000 Iraqis arriving in 2009. The city is believed to have the second-largest number of Iraqis in the country, most of them Chaldean Christians.^[9]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraqi_American

[Aeson]

While slightly increased immigration, plus the opening some ethnic food restaurants is a noble cause ... I'd like to think we could have done a bit better with $2trillion.

[Dinner]

Kill joy.

[Aeson]

Imagine how many ethnic eateries you could build, and immigrant chefs you could have sponsored visas for with $2trillion!

[Tupac Shakur]

While slightly increased immigration, plus the opening some ethnic food restaurants is a noble cause ... I'd like to think we could have done a bit better with $2trillion.

Good enough for government work.

[Zevico]

Benefit: Saddam Hussein, a bloke who invaded Kuwait once, tried a second time in 1994, and was willing to reinstate his WMD programs the moment it all blew over in 2003--is now gone and replaced with a weak federal state unable to offer a substantial threat to its oil-rich neighbours.