John Spratt: “$74.7 billion seems sufficient to wage war for quite some time, but when it is broken down, there is less than meets the…”

“$74.7 billion seems sufficient to wage war for quite some time, but when it is broken down, there is less than meets the eye. Of the $74.7 billion, $62.6 billion goes to DoD. Of the $62.6 billion allocated to DoD, $30.3 billion goes to cover ``sunk cost,'' which the supplemental calls ``coercive diplomacy.'' Of the remaining $32.3 billion: $13.1 billion is allocated for a ``short, extremely intense period of combat operations''; $12 billion is allocated for post-war ``mopping up'' and phasing the combat force into an occupation force; $7.2 billion is allocated for redeployment, replenishment of munitions, and repair of weapon systems. Of the $7.2 billion, about $1.1 billion goes to Iraq's reconstruction. In addition, $7.8 billion is allocated out of the $74.7 billion for aid and humanitarian assistance to Israel and Jordan and other nations as well as post-war Iraq. Out of this $7.8 billion, some $2.4 billion is identified for reconstruction and humanitarian aid to Iraq. Added to the $1.1 billion, this makes aid to post-war Iraq equal to about $3.5 billion. One must conclude, therefore, that this supplemental is probably a first installment on the cost of this war. The supplemental will not cover (1) the cost of combat lasting more than 2-3 months, (2) the cost of prolonged occupation by a sizeable force, or (3) our likely share of the post-war reconstruction and humanitarian aid.”