Oct
06
Posted on 10-06-2007 at 12:54pm
“You Pay for the War by Winning the War”
Filed Under (War) by Rachel Walden on 10-06-2007

The above double-take inducing quote came from Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) in a recent story about Bush’s veto of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, when the discussion turned to comparison of Iraq war costs vs. health insurance for children.

Graham went on to say:

“This is not an accounting exercise. How did we pay for World War II? Everybody rolled up their sleeves and did the best they could.”

Well, technically, figuring out how to pay for war is a kind of accounting/budgeting exercise, and the White House has asked for nearly $200 billion in war funding. That money has to come from somewhere, and Graham serves on the Senate Committee on the Budget, so what are the assumptions behind Graham’s war budgeting notions?

1) There is still some definable endpoint at which the Iraq war could be considered “won.” Reasonable people can certainly disagree about what that definition would be, and whether it is to be expected.

2) “Winning” the war somehow makes money appear to take care of the costs. There are a couple of possibilities here, one being that the Publisher’s Clearinghouse people are going to show up with a giant fake check to celebrate our win with a balloon bouquet and camera crew. Another is that there is some kind of sacrifice going on among the American people akin to the rationing during WWII that somehow frees up resources to pay for war, although that wouldn’t necessarily depend on a victory. Anybody noticed that happening? Turned in any ration stamps or grown anything in your victory garden lately?

Or is the magic money that appears upon winning the war expected to come in the form of, oh, I don’t know, oil revenues? In a Washington Post piece published on September 16th of this year, Graham referred to “three big issues” that must be resolved in Iraq within the next 90 days to avoid a failed state. Those three major issues? Oil revenues, de-Baathification, and provincial elections.

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Comments

Reason over religion! on 6 October, 2007 at 1:37 pm #

How dare you blaspheme against the will of God by criticizing this Holy War.

God is in the White House, and I think he knows better than you how to pay for a war.


music » “You Pay for the War by Winning the War” on 6 October, 2007 at 6:54 pm #

[…] Staff wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptThe above double-take inducing quote came from Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) in a recent story about Bush’s veto of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, when the discussion turned to comparison of Iraq war costs vs. health … […]


democommie on 7 October, 2007 at 11:47 am #

Lindsey Graham is right on top of things. De-baathification is kinda off the table with Bushco, lately. Oil revenues for what, paying for the war? It would take about 20 years of 100% productivity for Iraq to come up with all of the money it cost for them to have their country destroyed. Ahhh, provincial elections–I guess that’s gonna be a better idea than buying support from various sheiks and sunni pols (although they will probably still experience a steep mortality curve, just like they do now). Yup, you go Lindsay.


democommie on 7 October, 2007 at 11:49 am #

I really do dislike the comment monitor thingy.

Lindsey Graham is right on top of things. De-baathification is kinda off the table with Bushco, lately. Oil revenues for what, paying for the war? It would take about 20 years of 100% productivity for Iraq to come up with all of the money it cost for them to have their country destroyed. Ahhh, provincial elections–I guess that’s gonna be a better idea than buying support from various sheiks and sunni pols (although they will probably still experience a steep mortality curve, just like they do now). Yup, you go Lindsay.


William on 7 October, 2007 at 12:07 pm #

Cheney never thought his war for oil would cost so much, but at least he, like all the war profiteers are raking in the big bucks.


Reason over religion! on 7 October, 2007 at 12:15 pm #

You wouldn’t get away with openly criticizing God’s war over at NiT. Get your blaspheming ass to church.


William on 7 October, 2007 at 12:29 pm #

(h/t) Brittney

http://abcnews.go.com/US/CSM/Story?id=3694726&page=1


Reason over religion! on 7 October, 2007 at 1:43 pm #

Religion and war are inseparable. If people didn’t have absolute faith in God and the afterlife they would likely find other ways of settling disputes besides seeing who could kill or die the fastest.