Last thoughts
In responding to cost-based criticisms of the
invasion and occupation of Iraq, the Bush
Administration argues that one does not go
to war on the basis of calculations by bean
counters. After all, Franklin Roosevelt did not
wait to respond to Pearl Harbor until his bud-
get analysts could assay the costs and benefi ts.
But, with Iraq, America had a choice of
whether and when to attack. If there ever was
a “project” that should have been subject to
careful scrutiny from all perspectives – in-
cluding the economics – this was it.
Just as going to war was a matter of choice,
staying in Iraq is also a matter of choice.
There may be costs associated with leaving.
But there will be costs associated with staying.
Every day we stay in Iraq we accrue costs that
will be reflected in budget outlays, lost pro-
ductivity and individual pain and suffering
for decades to come. We need to ask: are they
outweighed by the benefits?
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