On the bedside table:
Brother, Can You Spare a Trillion?
3-27-08 11:00am eastern: just watched the President give a speech on Iraq from the National Air Force Museum just up the road in Dayton, Ohio-- nothing new here: stay the course, surge is working, etc. Most conspicuous was what he didn't say; speaking against a background of increasing Shi'a factional violence that could severely threaten the stability and recent civil gains in Iraq the Prez only briefly mentioned the tenuous situation, giving no details on the military operation-- its goal, its timing, US troop roles, status of the battles etc...(this while news of kidnappings and death-tolls from Basra, Baghdad and Kut scrolled beneath him on the news ticker - read a related post here). What was said was framed as a slight bump in the road on the march of progress in iraq, but I was also reminded of a pep-talk a leader might give when he expects hard sledding ahead. As usual he made virtually no mention of Afghanistan even though that crucial country (and war) steadily deteriorates with no end in sight.
Two recent news stories bring home why many of us are critical of the unbalanced approach the Bush/Cheneyites have taken in Iraq and Afghanistan, that they have had their eyes on the wrong prize all along (at least with regard to their stated aims in the "war on terror"-- if the prize is oil then its another story), and it's costing us heavily:
In Afghanistan:
NY Times 3-27-08:
"With the award last January of a federal contract worth as much as nearly $300 million, the company, AEY Inc., which operates out of an unmarked office in Miami Beach, became the main supplier of munitions to Afghanistan’s army and police forces. Since then, the company has provided ammunition that is more than 40 years old and in decomposing packaging...." More>>
In Iraq:
Even the staunchest supporters of the Iraq War have to cringe at these numbers, even if they turn out to be somewhat high (which I suspect they won't)...
PBS NewsHour 3-26-08: "In a follow-up report to a series on the cost of war, Paul Solman examines the new estimates for short- and long-term expenditures related to the ongoing conflict in Iraq -- including military recruitment, equipment and medical treatment for those injured..."
Click for video of the NewsHour piece (then click the "streaming video" link)
Afterword: I have been critical here of the defense complex and its weapons procurement programs, I have written about body-armor and rifle contracts that appear to short-change our own soldiers. The above story reveals that we are worse when supplying our allies, in this case Afghanis fighting the Taliban.