Political Quotes

“a study released by the House Committee on the Budget staff concludes that the cost of the Iraq war and the Iraq occupation could easily reach $417 billion over the next decade. That is $17 billion more than the President has proposed for a prescription drug benefit for our seniors. The report says the best-case scenario would cost taxpayers only $308 billion. Deputy Defense Secretary Wolfowitz said recently, ``No one I know of would ever say that this war is cheap.'' That, Mr. Speaker, contradicts what everyone in the Bush administration was saying before the war. Budget Director Mitch Daniels said Iraq would be ``an affordable endeavor'' that ``will not require sustained aid.'' Top White House Economist Glen Hubbard said back then before the war, the ``costs of any such intervention would be very small.'' And another White House aid, Larry Lindsey, was fired after he said it would cost $100 billion to $200 billion. The report details how the President's request allocates $157 per Iraqi for sewage improvements, while the President's budget has only $14 per American for sewer improvements. This is U.S. tax dollars. The administration is devoting $38 per Iraqi for hospitals, compared with $3.30 per American.”