Friday, October 10, 2003

Iraq By The Numbers There is a fantastic post on the Dean blog that contains Dean’s statement on the one-year anniversary of the congressional resolution authorizing Bush to make preemptive war.    Some of the items include:  Operation Iraqi Freedom: By the Numbers 365 -- Days since Congress authorized a unilateral war 324 -- American Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines dead in Iraq 1,767 --American military casualties in Iraq 164 -- Days since President Bush declared the war was 'over' 184 -- American Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines dead since war was "over" 2.38 -- Tons of biological agents the Administration claimed Iraq had 6,868 -- Gallons of anthrax the Administration asserted Iraq was ready to use 317 -- Gallons of botulinum toxin the Administration reported Iraq was hiding 581 -- Gallons of aflatoxin the Administration stated Iraq possessed 45 -- Minutes the Administration claimed it would take Iraq to launch a WMD attack Over 300 -- Alleged Iraqi weapons sites inspected to date 0 -- Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction found 100,000s -- Number of Troops needed in Iraq according to Gen. Eric Shinseki, Army Chief of Staff "Way off the Mark" -- Rumsfeld's and Wolfowitz's response to Shinseki's estimate 150,000 -- American military personnel in the Middle East supporting war 29,000 -- Army and Air National Guard forces in Iraq 50,000 -- Reservists in Iraq 30,000 -- Number of US troops the Pentagon planned to have in Iraq late 2003 "Something under $50 Billion" -- Administration's initial projected cost of war You get the idea.  Please read the whole thing, it is a detailed chronology of the lies and distortions that have led to the following:  $221 Billion -- Projected total cost of occupying Iraq $222 Billion -- Total annual cost of the National Cancer Institute, FBI, pollution control, foreign aid, NASA, agricultural support payments, food stamps, non-defense homeland security, health research and training, highways, financial aid to college students, and federal support for grade-school education and high-school education  We pleaded with Kerry, Markey and Gephardt last fall to open their eyes and not get rolled by the lies and falsifications of the administration.  It was not rocket science to see what was happening, [here's my post from a year ago] but our “tail between their legs” democrats were so afraid of the big bad Bush they caved.  It’s time for them to step aside, and let a new, powerful group of democrats take charge, who will lead first the party, then the country, back to a safer and happier path. 4:33:19 PM   comment []

© Copyright 2003 Toby Sackton. Last update: 11/17/2003; 12:25:57 PM.