One of the great myths of this election is that there is a distinction between national security and economic policy. The reality is however, with a war that has thus far cost well over a trillion dollars, one’s position on Iraq is a statement of economic policy.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the War in Iraq cost approximately $170 billion last year. Economists Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes estimate that the war in Iraq will cost $2.7 trillion or more overall by 2017. Meanwhile, the American Society of Civil Engineers estimates that it would take more than a trillion and a half dollars over a five year period – more over a longer period – to bring the U.S. infrastructure up to standards that will put it on par to compete effectively in the global economy.
And what of the current economic disaster our nation is facing? The $125 billion economic stimulus package is a joke in comparison to what the economy needs and the $12 billion a month we are spending in Iraq.
Does anyone believe that oil at $110 a barrel and $4 gasoline has nothing to do with the war in Iraq that Senator McCain and Senator Clinton supported? At the time our invasion, oil was under $30 a barrel.
Senator Clinton is hitting hard on economic themes and experience without mentioning her support for a war that has wrecked our economy and showed incredibly bad judgement.
When Senator McCain says we will be in Iraq for 100 years he is making a statement about the future of the American economy. When Senator McCain commits to those trillions of dollars he is saying that the U.S. economy is destined to decline as China – which has no huge foreign military commitments – develops at breakneck speed with an infrastructure that is built for economic growth.
It’s time for Senator Obama to join the national security (war) debate and the economic debate. Workers' living standards and the U.S. economy will continue to see erosion as long as we are in Iraq.
Greg Tarpinian is the Executive Director of Change to Win.
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Amen!
I thought I would never hear a natinal union resist the so called national security stuff that we are feed while the military industrial comples gets rich. And our national security gets weaker.
Remember every dime in the defense budget goes into somebody's bank account every year. Follow the money and you will find people who support war. Hopefully workers will start thinking critically about national security.
Posted by tom on March 17, 2008 at 6:12 PM
Posted on March 17, 2008 at 6:12 PM