$160b...so far. Yale's William Nordhaus (Krugman's old prof) put it much higher.

BTW, Check out the new Tom Friedman: "...In part, this is because America is so radioactive in the Arab-Muslim world that even an America that has come to Iraq with the sole intention of liberating its people cannot be openly embraced."
Samuel | 09.20.03 - 9:25 pm | #

Wow, if "an America that has come to Iraq with the sole intention of liberating its people" is radioactive, imagine how bad an America that has come for Iraqi oil would be.
NTodd | Homepage | 09.20.03 - 9:31 pm | #

Can't inspect all containers. That would be a jobs program.
jerry | 09.20.03 - 9:31 pm | #

DAVID EHRENSTEIN: IF YOU FEEL LIKE FUCKING LITTLE BOYS, YOU SHOULDN'T !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GOD | 09.20.03 - 9:37 pm | #

jerry -

re: jobs program

I want a job!
dwain | 09.20.03 - 9:38 pm | #

Hey, Fremlin, piss off.
Atrios | Homepage | 09.20.03 - 9:38 pm | #

piss off, gene
GOD | 09.20.03 - 9:47 pm | #

I haven't had much work since my boy Bill Clinton left office -- just some snoop-jobs paid for, with your donations, by Atrios. Anyone need some dirty tricks pulled?
Terry Lenzner | 09.20.03 - 9:51 pm | #

Fremlin? Who is this Fremlin duck? May we call him and his employer on the talkyphone?
Scooter | Homepage | 09.20.03 - 10:57 pm | #

well, you could call his mommy..
Atrios | Homepage | 09.20.03 - 11:00 pm | #

Little Junior Fremlin? Is his pappy out of prison yet? Daddy gonna be very unhappy with his little sprout...
Scooter | Homepage | 09.20.03 - 11:02 pm | #

David Ehrenstein barely even posts here anymore. I'm here all the time. Feel free to target my heterosexuality.
digamma | Homepage | 09.20.03 - 11:25 pm | #

ah, the abhorent adolescent has a name. And such a fitting one, too.
Tena | 09.20.03 - 11:28 pm | #

Funny, though, he used a different name when he sent me an email of the above comment.
Tena | 09.20.03 - 11:29 pm | #

He sent you an email? Those leave tracks, you know.

Find out who he is and report his ass to his parents.
Monkey | 09.20.03 - 11:47 pm | #

Monkey - Excellent suggestion.
Tena | 09.20.03 - 11:49 pm | #

This is the sort of analysis I try to point out to people.

Not the regressive crypto-fascist social agenda, not the Halliburton War, none of that.

Simple numbers, calculating just how much safer we could have been if a competent person were in charge.
Seraphiel | Homepage | 09.21.03 - 1:41 am | #

Personally, I wouldn't even spend the 8 billion on searching every freakin container coming into the USA. What a ridiculous use of resources. Granted, not nearly as silly as waging this horrific racist war, but stupid nonetheless.

You want to rid the world of Terrorists, and therefore the need to search every container, box, and person who comes into this country? First, reign in Israel, and give the Palestinians their state; Second, really put pressure on our dictatorial friends in the region to change their ways, or else...; third, actually do some good in the Middle East, like rebuild Afghanistan and show how Western capital can be use to create and not simply destroy. Fourth, teach our children that being Muslim is cool.
tobor | 09.21.03 - 1:58 am | #

Ya'all know that the cost of the Iraq war with the latest (insufficient and deliberately low) 87 billion dollars added on approaches the inflation adjusted cost to the US of WWI?

It is also the same as the adjusted costs of the revolutionary war plus the war of 1812 plus the spanish-american war plus ...
Copernicus | 09.21.03 - 10:44 am | #

Tobor,

Good suggestions, but why may I ask, given the demonstrable intentions of Al Queda to attack people in this country in any way possible, would you consider these mutually exclusive goals.

The Bush administration's failure to address one of the most vulnerable areas of our "Homeland Defense" is a prime example of their singularly gross negligence.
PeterB | 09.21.03 - 11:52 am | #

PeterB - "The Bush administration's failure to address one of the most vulnerable areas of our 'Homeland Defense' is a prime example of their singularly gross negligence."

No, no, you just don't get it. It's like the WWF; if you put on a good enough show of being tough then you win. See, this administration has embraced with unprecedented cynicism the idea that America is a facade - very wide and only about 1/16th of an inch thick.
Tena | 09.21.03 - 12:09 pm | #

Pres Bush has not lied to the people. He told us from the very first that this would be a long hard war. Tell me who else could have done better with this war. A Democrat Pres and Congress who would pull out before job is done? Then where will the war go? All over the world? Let's be reasonable. And speaking of so many casualties, GET REAL, this is WAR. A lot less than any other major war in history in this time frame. Sad to lose any lives, but how come a lot of people think there should be no casualties?
Edda R Moody | 11.04.06 - 12:12 pm | #