Coming to a Theater of Operations Nowhere Near You...
From Deborah White on About.com: US Liberal Politics, these are some eye-popping figures she'd culled from various think tanks such as the Brookings Institute and MSM sources.
U.S. SPENDING IN IRAQ
Spent & Approved War-Spending - About $800 billion of US taxpayers' funds spent or approved for spending through mid-2009, including $76 billion requested by President Obama and approved by Congress.
U.S. 2009 Monthly Spending in Iraq - $7.3 billion as of Oct 2009
U.S. 2008 Monthly Spending in Iraq - $12 billion
U.S. Spending per Second - $5,000 in 2008 (per Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on May 5, 2008)
Cost of deploying one U.S. soldier for one year in Iraq - $390,000 (Congressional Research Service)
Lost & Unaccounted for in Iraq - $9 billion of US taxpayers' money and $549.7 million in spare parts shipped in 2004 to US contractors. Also, per ABC News, 190,000 guns, including 110,000 AK-47 rifles.
Missing - $1 billion in tractor trailers, tank recovery vehicles, machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and other equipment and services provided to the Iraqi security forces. (Per CBS News on Dec 6, 2007.)
Mismanaged & Wasted in Iraq - $10 billion, per Feb 2007 Congressional hearings
Halliburton Overcharges Classified by the Pentagon as Unreasonable and Unsupported - $1.4 billion
Amount paid to KBR, a former Halliburton division, to supply U.S. military in Iraq with food, fuel, housing and other items - $20 billion
Portion of the $20 billion paid to KBR that Pentagon auditors deem "questionable or supportable" - $3.2 billion
Number of major U.S. bases in Iraq - 75 (The Nation/New York Times)
TROOPS IN IRAQ
Troops in Iraq - Total 124,000 U.S. troops as of September 30, 2009. All other nations have withdrawn their troops.
U.S. Troop Casualties - 4,366 US troops; 98% male. 91% non-officers; 82% active duty, 11% National Guard; 74% Caucasian, 9% African-American, 11% Latino. 19% killed by non-hostile causes. 54% of US casualties were under 25 years old. 72% were from the US Army
Non-U.S. Troop Casualties - Total 316, with 179 from the UK
US Troops Wounded - 31,571 through September 30, 2009, 20% of which are serious brain or spinal injuries. (Total excludes psychological injuries.)
US Troops with Serious Mental Health Problems - 30% of US troops develop serious mental health problems within 3 to 4 months of returning home
US Military Helicopters Downed in Iraq - 73 total, at least 36 by enemy fire
IRAQI TROOPS, CIVILIANS & OTHERS IN IRAQ
Private Contractors in Iraq, Working in Support of US Army Troops - More than 180,000 in August 2007, per The Nation/LA Times.
Journalists killed - 140, 93 by murder and 47 by acts of war
Journalists killed by US Forces - 14
Iraqi Police and Soldiers Killed - 9,315
Iraqi Civilians Killed, Estimated - A UN issued report dated Sept 20, 2006 stating that Iraqi civilian casualties have been significantly under-reported. Casualties are reported at 50,000 to over 100,000, but may be much higher. Some informed estimates place Iraqi civilian casualities at over 600,000.
Iraqi Insurgents Killed, Roughly Estimated - 55,000
Non-Iraqi Contractors and Civilian Workers Killed - 569
Non-Iraqi Kidnapped - 306, including 57 killed, 147 released, 4 escaped, 6 rescued and 89 status unknown.
Daily Insurgent Attacks, Feb 2004 - 14
Daily Insurgent Attacks, July 2005 - 70
Daily Insurgent Attacks, May 2007 - 163
Estimated Insurgency Strength, Nov 2003 - 15,000
Estimated Insurgency Strength, Oct 2006 - 20,000 - 30,000
Estimated Insurgency Strength, June 2007 - 70,000
QUALITY OF LIFE INDICATORS
Iraqis Displaced Inside Iraq, by Iraq War, as of May 2007 - 2,255,000
Iraqi Refugees in Syria & Jordan - 2.1 million to 2.25 million
Iraqi Unemployment Rate - 27 to 60%, where curfew not in effect
Consumer Price Inflation in 2006 - 50%
Iraqi Children Suffering from Chronic Malnutrition - 28% in June 2007 (Per CNN.com, July 30, 2007)
Percent of professionals who have left Iraq since 2003 - 40%
Iraqi Physicians Before 2003 Invasion - 34,000
Iraqi Physicians Who Have Left Iraq Since 2003 Invasion - 12,000
Iraqi Physicians Murdered Since 2003 Invasion - 2,000
Average Daily Hours Iraqi Homes Have Electricity - 1 to 2 hours, per Ryan Crocker, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq (Per Los Angeles Times, July 27, 2007)
Average Daily Hours Iraqi Homes Have Electricity - 10.9 in May 2007
Average Daily Hours Baghdad Homes Have Electricity - 5.6 in May 2007
Pre-War Daily Hours Baghdad Homes Have Electricity - 16 to 24
Number of Iraqi Homes Connected to Sewer Systems - 37%
Iraqis without access to adequate water supplies - 70% (Per CNN.com, July 30, 2007)
Water Treatment Plants Rehabilitated - 22%
RESULTS OF POLL Taken in Iraq in August 2005 by the British Ministry of Defense (Source: Brookings Institute)
Iraqis "strongly opposed to presence of coalition troops - 82%
Iraqis who believe Coalition forces are responsible for any improvement in security - less than 1%
Iraqis who feel less ecure because of the occupation - 67%
Iraqis who do not have confidence in multi-national forces - 72%
Then, later today, I read about Obama's second surge for Afghanistan, which ought to bring us up to 100,000, while we still have 120,000+ in Iraq (note that we're the only occupying nation left, making our presence truly unilateral in every way, shape and form).
Who else is experiencing buyer's remorse? Is it time to start looking for a more suitable Democratic replacement in 2012 or should I just play along for another couple of years of this bullshit?
posted by jurassicpork @ Tuesday, December 01, 2009
6 comments
6 Comments:
So Obama IS a manchurian candidate after all ---- just not in the way that the nuts were predicting. Or is he just w. in blackface? I really can't see much difference.
CNN reports it costs $1 million to send a soldier to Afghanistan for a year.
Damn
Not finding the change I voted for.
Let's put things in perspective, people: If we maintain our present troop level in Iraq, after we spread our footprint in Afghanistan to 100,000, that'll be close to a quarter of a million troops we'll have committed to two unwinnable wars.
And each one will have an average of just over one contractor to support them.
At close to 500,000 people, that blows out of the water the largest presence we ever had in both countries under George W. Bush.
I seriously hope this man is a one term president, a failed experiment. I didn't want him to fail because it would've meant the failure of America.
But America, despite itself, is failing and failing big time under this smooth-talking maniac who thinks he can succeed where Alexander the Great, the British and the Soviet empire failed.
We've now been in Afghanistan almost as long as the USSR and this surge of 30,000 will commit us for at least the next 3 years.
Please everyone lets not get to excited about this, it's just business as usual. Yes, I voted for him and I received what I thought I would and it was better than the Crazy old person and I can see Russia from my porch. Here's a thought is this a rope a dope? He doesn't have the power to make the changes but if the general/admirals/gates/sos fail he can fire them and only the crazy 27% will complain. No I don't think this is it but who knows. The sad thing is how many have to die if this is the plan? The sad world we live in. By 2011 this country will be broke (is already)and No One is going to save it, hang on kids the ride is going to get even rougher.
jo6pac
Everything is on schedule, please move along.
http://joshualandis.com/blog/?p=4672
Check the above for more #. Thanks JP for the post.
jo6pac
74% of troop casualties were caucasian. That's a bit surprising. Wonder what the stats were in Nam
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