Bush/Cheney, big oil and the MIC broke this(Iraq)country, so they should be made to pay for it by themselves. And the supporters who voted for this incompetent group of “have mores” should also fund their choice in leaders ill thought out follies with their money and children, AKA cannon fodder.

All of those who never wanted or agreed to this war should not be stuck paying for the never ending expense of rebuilding Iraq, all the while the GOP does it’s damnedest to see to it that all Americans end up living in a 3rd world country that is crumbling daily for lack of monies needed to repair the infrastructure and by destroying the middle class and lowering of incomes of all those working.

As long as someone else covers these expenses, the Iraqi people, government, etc. will not pick up the cost of restoring the damage that G.W. has done.

This is one legacy that should be packed up and taken with George when he finally leaves the White House. Since he has been and still is obsessed with Iraq more than anything else and it appears to be his pet project, no need to leave it to others who did not and still do not want this mess called the Iraq War. This was George’s “baby” since before he stole the first term in the W.H. he stated war in Iraq was his top priority in July 2000. The only promise he ever kept in his life.

Get US out of there.STOP SPENDING AMERICAN MONEY THERE.START SPENDING AMERICAN MONEY[what is left after “ole bullshits” spending spree]HERE….For jobs-college-health care-roads-bridges-solar power-wind power-power lines-infrastructure…....

There are now reports appearing in the blogosphere which claim that the SOFA agreement recently signed by President Bush with Iraq means that even if President Obama announces a policy of total withdrawal from Iraq long before the deadline of December 31, 2011 he cannot start the actual withdrawal until one year after his announced decision. Poppycock! Here is the pertinent English text from SOFA provided by Al Jazeera:

The Iraqi government admits to the sovereign right of the United States to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq at any time (from SOFA Article 24).

Note: AT ANY TIME. Hence President Obama, once he is sworn in on January 20, 2009 can declare that he intends to implement a full withdrawal immediately. I understand that he does not intend to make such a statement but his hands are not bound by SOFA. The notion that he has to wait until January 20, 2010 to begin full withdrawal in that case is self-serving and dangerous nonsense.

It’s always easy to detect the handiwork of financial geniuses!

The real question is: why is ANYONE surprised by this?  A $100 billion boondoggle in Iraq, with many probably lining their pockets?  We’re shocked - shocked! - to find this going on.  NOT!

The true intent of American foreign policy in the Middle East is now being unmasked.  Can American hegemony in the Middle East be sustained given the economic crisis at home?  If the Middle Class accepts further burdens on it’s income then the answer is yes.

I doubt however that under these current economic conditions that the Middle Class can accept any further economic burdens.  In fact, significant transfer payments to the Middle Class from the Upper Class will be necessary, in my opinion, to rescue and sustain the economy.  Credit is not the only answer to Middle Class economic stability, sustainably adequate incomes are the primary answer.  Until the Middle Class is recapitalized, considerations regarding the reconstruction of Iraq should be put on hold, otherwise we will collapse not from external forces but from internal forces.

Patrick Cockburn (of the London Independent) on US loss of Iraq War:

On November 27 the Iraqi parliament voted by a large majority in favor of a security agreement with the US under which the 150,000 American troops in Iraq will withdraw from cities, towns and villages by June 30, 2009 and from all of Iraq by December 31, 2011. The Iraqi government will take over military responsibility for the Green Zone in Baghdad, the heart of American power in Iraq, in a few weeks time. Private security companies will lose their legal immunity. US military operations and the arrest of Iraqis will only be carried out with Iraqi consent. There will be no US military bases left behind when the last US troops leave in three years time and the US military is banned in the interim from carrying out attacks on other countries from Iraq.   

The Status of Forces Agreement, signed after eight months of rancorous negotiations, is categorical and unconditional. America’s bid to act as the world’s only super-power and to establish quasi-colonial control of Iraq, an attempt which began with the invasion of 2003, has ended in failure.

The latest reports from Iraq suggest that we and Britain are desperate to keep our fingers close to Iraq’s oilfields.
One US “commander on-the-ground” (read quicksand) has already brazenly declared that he will violate the agreement that all US troops must be out of Iraq’s cities next summer. The next announcement will probably be that US troops will remain in Iraq after December 31, 2011, all in violation of a recently signed agreement.
All of these people are advancing Al Sadr’s program and respectability in Iraq. Pretty dumb, huh?
It will be interesting to learn what Mr. Obama will tell his commanders in Iraq after January 20, 2009 because statements emanating from their offices are akin to the insubordination by General MacArthur. Since when are Generals allowed to declare publicly their intent to violate an agreement signed by their commander-in-chief? Are they not bound to obey just like the common soldiers are? Will President Obama have the fortitude to fire insubordinate generals like President Truman did? We will see.
The Brits are in panic because there is no agreement yet that they can remain near the oil wells after December 31, 2008.
Forget about “reconstruction” because that is only a buzzword, or if you wish fig-leaf, to cover “continued occupation”.
I am 81 years old and I suspect that I will be buried long before the last US soldier leaves Iraq.

Al Jazeera supplemented this by interviewing an Iraqi reporter:

http://therehearsalstudio.blogspot.com/2008/12/c-students-dont-learn-hard-lessons.html

“SHOCK and AWE” the moniker will tell the tale for generations. The “Emerald City”, the only construction truly complete in Iraq, Is the Bush/Cheney legacy. A monument to “Democracy”, The 8th wonder of the world and a Trillion Dollar trophy to the Industrial Military Complex. The Iraqis are “Milking” us for everything they can get. They have $90 billion in the bank and we have….....?