A Wolfowitz at the Door

In one of the most infamous quotes of the entire Iraq debacle, deputy defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz (who continues today to defend the war), told the House Appropriations Committee eleven years ago this week that oil revenue earned by Iraq alone would pay for Iraq's reconstruction after the Iraq war. "The oil revenues of that country could bring between $50 and $100 billion over the course of the next two or three years. Now, there are a lot of claims on that money, but ... We are dealing with a country that can really finance its own reconstruction and relatively soon."  How did that turn out?

Christian Science Monitor two years ago summarized the costs this way:  "The Iraq war cost about $800 billion, or about $7.6 billion a month. When long term benefits are paid out connected with the death and injury of US troops there, the number is expected to rise to about $1 trillion, or about $9.5 billion a month. About $60 billion was spent directly on Iraq reconstruction efforts."

Greg Mitchell’s latest book, published today, is When Hollywood Moved Left: The Election Campaign That Changed Politics in Film Forever.   The updated edition of So Wrong for So Long includes a preface by Bruce Springsteen, a new introduction and a lengthy afterword with updates.