Guess how much we've spent on Iraq contractors...
$100 BILLION! That is the projected sum from the start of the Iraq war in 2003 through the end of this year. Now, to be clear, I completely understand the need for independent contractors during times of war. These contractors are a very valuable "force multiplier" that have been used in every conflict that we've been a part of but what is unprecedented is the number and amount of money spent on these contractors for the Iraq war. Why do you think that we "only" have 140,000 troops currently in country in Iraq? 'Cause we've got over 150,000 contractors. Darth Cheney loved this idea cause Kellogg, Brown & Root (a subsideary of Halliburton; Cheney's oil company) got the no bid contract and Sec. of Defense Rummy loved this idea cause he could keep the number of his troops low to prove his point that the "new age" of warfare could be fought much cheaper and quicker than past conflicts. As the reporting reflects, no decisions have been made to determine which jobs are suitable for contractors vs. the armed forces and that this confusion has lead to the deaths of our men and women in the military... electric shower anyone? Bush 2.0, Darth Cheney and their administration have treated these contractors as their own personal draft... they can hide the numbers of contractors in Iraq, they can hide their deaths and they can hide how much money we've been paying them. Just imagine for a second if we had 300,000 troops in Iraq instead of the stated number of 140,000 five years out from the initial invasion? Impeachment would be firmly on the table.
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