War Costs Mount as Administration Mishandles Iraq

Having received more than $200 billion to prosecute President Bush's war and occupation in Iraq, the administration is now hinting that billions more will be requested from taxpayers as early as this summer. The pattern is clear: underestimate real costs; deny problems on the ground; and then force the American public to pony up at the last minute to clean up the mess from the administration's inadequate planning in Iraq.

• The Bush administration's failure to adequately plan for post-war Iraq is costing Americans dearly in lives and funds. More than 700 American soldiers have died so far in Iraq, with the death toll rising rapidly more than one year after the initial invasion. The president's "coalition of the willing" is deteriorating and Americans are being asked to shoulder more of the burdens for occupying Iraq.
• The failure to maintain control on the ground is severely hindering reconstruction and democracy building efforts in Iraq. Less than three months before the transfer of authority to Iraqis, U.S. troops face a rising nationalist insurgency spreading across Iraq. As a result of the violence, two major contractors have suspended reconstruction efforts and billions of dollars in reconstruction grants have been diverted to private security firms.
• President Bush refuses to level with Americans about the costs and sacrifices necessary for success in Iraq. President Bush told Americans the war and transition to democracy in Iraq would be easy and essentially cost-free. None of his predictions have come true. Americans were not greeted as liberators. Iraqi oil supplies have not paid for reconstruction. The international community is not solidly behind his efforts. Given these failures, the American public has a right to know how President Bush plans to get out of this mess and what it will cost.

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