High Cost Of War Weighs On Obama's Troop Decision For Afghanistan

New York Times:

While President Obama's decision about sending more troops to Afghanistan is primarily a military one, it also has substantial budget implications that are adding pressure to limit the commitment, senior administration officials say.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[expired]

If he can't decide what to do, perhaps we should assist by sending him a note.
www.whitehouse.gov

[expired]

No more supporting the Industrial Military Complex, Mr. President, bring our troops home, NOW. Stop being a patsy and do the right thing, like you promised.

[Vicks123]

Give peace a chance!

[PhilipTaylor]

Fortunes can be made by Contractors in Afghanistan financed by the BANKSTERS!

We could spend $Billion on Nation Building that could further the pillaging of America by corrupt US Contractors!

WA_R is very profitable for the Banksters and the Contractors!

Lets keep our EYES OPEN THIS TIME!

Yes! A gallon of Gas there is $500!

So a $million school will likely cost $100 Million and go to one of OUR Corrupt US Military Contractors!

[schatsie]

It is INCONCEIVABLE to me that we are spending $3,000 per day per soldier in IRAQ and Afghanistan......Those soldiers average about $30,000 per year...so where is the other 970,000 going FOR EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM...

There are CPAs looking for work and there is no reason this country cannot AUDIT DOD and every person with earnings over 1 million dollars a year....

[BiggerBiggerPicture]

Another possible strategy is:

1. withdraw from Afghanistan
2. provide air support to Pakistan
3. provide aid to Pakistan
4. ask Pakistan or other moderate Muslim country army to help Afghan government

This way Pakistan army can cross border to attack Al-Qaeda and Taliban.

Military response to terrorism might be an over-kill (it might have caused this and future recession). If Middle East is not resolved, terrorism will always be there. The Arab Peace Initiative is the best hope for a comprehensive solution.

[sb250guy]

I'm all for anything that will end these wars. But I will be quite sad if, in the end, it is the cost (in dollars) that brings us to our senses. There are so many other reasons to put an end to this madness.

[Tulka2]

Keep paying every soldier. Keep them on their health-care. Bring them home. We need them here. There is so much work to be done. Money and Power are going to call it socialism if public money goes to anyone but the corporations anyway. There is so much work to be done. This country is physically falling apart. We need health care clinics everywhere. The kids need schools. Bring them home, Obama and let them work here. Sell it like this. The people will hear you.

[Lightfoot Letters]

You make some good points. The most important job the military could do at home would be to protect our borders. And, with the Bush and Obama Adminstrations that is not going to happen.
Second, all the money we spend on health care would be enough two or three time over if we just spent the money on citizens or at least individuals living in the US. Religious organizations are the only ones that seem to be efficent in this area. We also spend more than enough money on public education. What we need more of, is individuals that teach instead of union organizers. The Obama Adminstration and Congress has spent very little of the billions on infrastructure. Go figure.

[Tulka2]

Sigh. Two people can look at the same thing and get such a different take, eh?

Who do you think would be a better president right now?

[BradSmith]

Obama Promise To End The War, 2007 - "You Can Take That To The Bank"


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LsSppYxSHk&feature=player_embedded

It's only fifteen seconds but it says everything you need to know about President Obama.

[Fred Hood]

THAT MEANS THE MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX REAPS A HEFTY 980,000 PROFIT PER TROOP PER YEAR.......NO WONDER THEY PAY SO MUCH TO CONGRESS TO INSURE IT GOES ON FOREVER AND IS ESCALATED.............AS I HAVE SAID ITS ALL ABOUT THE MONEY....AND OUR CHILDREN ARE SACRIFICED TO FEED THE MACHINE......

THERE SHOULD BE NO PROFIT IN WAR....OR WE WILL HAVE WAR FOREVER........

Cherokee Fred Jesus
Nam 69-72 a total waste

[TimnySlagle]

Oh, suddenly he's worried about the BUDGET?

No we can pass a trillion dollar healthcare bill, and a trillion dollar stimulus package..

But when it comes time to actually do his job as commander and chief...

uuuh, no, that uhhhh costs too much.

[sb250guy]

It's called priorities.

[TimnySlagle]

In wartime there is only one priority the commander and chief should focus on

[Fred Hood]

health care is for us for a change.........he inherited the bail out before he got there they did not even know where it went.............O bashing is so small of you

[RRK70]

the republicant's have been calling for less spending, where do they stand on this Timny?

[Tulka2]

Only if you are willing to send yourself or your children into this war, can you be for this war. Only if you believe in it that much, can you make any claim to morality. Everyone else is a war-profiteer. I am not speaking of the honor of the soldiers. They have plenty. I am talking about the honor of the nation.

[Fred Hood]

MR TRANSPARENCY........I WANT TO KNOW WHERE THE MONEY IS GOING SINCE OUR AVERAGE SOLDIER MAKES LESS THAN 20k A YEAR?????????????

[ISOLEP]

you were in the armed forces,you don't know where the money goes?

[Fred Hood]

it now goes to halaburton backwater and the hundreds of contractors, in nam we had a mamasan we paid a few bucks a week to do many of the things we pay thousands a week for now..............it is wasted all of it including the lives of many good Americans

[bluejoni2525]

It is time we bring our men and women home !! We have spent far too much in treasure and lost far too many of our fellow citizens !! It is time to be SMARTER than that !!

[BradSmith]

it is time in fact it well past time.

bring our troops home from everywhere.

[Fred Hood]

so many I feel mainly the ones who have a financial interest in continuing this w@r........who in their right mind would want to continue this total waste of our children and bankrupting our country.....the military industrial complex has such power, power we give them with our billions.......they do kickback to our lawmakers and have many under the table deal to buy our representatives.......we must be smarter and more persistent and demand we end this total waste now today......do we really fear tribesmen in this backwards country who ride camels?? I do not its all about the money 3.7 billion a week or more....that feed them and allows them to continue a war that is a total waste.....

CFJ
Nam 69-72 a volunteer all for nothing..........

[bluejoni2525]

Very well put Fred fanned !!

[RRK70]

maybe it wasn't for nothing, I would like to think. Not if people learn from their experiences and the experiences of others. Lessons learned at too high a cost to be certain.

[jordan327]

Sounds like obama's stimulus spending.....1 million dollars per job.

[Fred Hood]

O bashing doesn't buy you much here we know better

[Fred Hood]

he did not put us where we are and he is not the one keeping us there........do you read or just post stuff no-one buys

[Angie Cordeiro - Huffpost Blogger]

Required reading at the White House: Gordon Goldstein: "Lessons in Disaster"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9-gPZO0Pa8