The Costs Of Iraq

Senior GOP Senator Abandons Iraq Policy July 6, 2007 - 6:50am WASHINGTON (AP) - In another setback to President Bush's increasingly unpopular war strategy, GOP stalwart Sen. Pete Domenici said he wants to see an end to combat operations and U.S. troops heading home from Iraq by spring. (WTOP)

The war in Iraq will have several, significant long-term costs. Regrettably, this President is just passing us the bill.

1) Rebuilding the military. It will take years, if not decades to put the military back together, both in terms of morale as well as equipment and training. Senior officers, some who probably served as far back as Vietnam will be getting out as soon as possible I expect, leaving a vacuum that will have to be filled by the cadre of men and women that themselves are probably considering retiring. The all-volunteer army will not have trouble filling the ranks. It will have trouble filling the ranks with qualified personnel, especially since a large number of the highly skilled personnel are currently coming from the Reserves and the National Guard. Replacing equipment will be an ongoing issue that may never really be resolved.

2) Health Care. Clearly, there are a lot of soldiers that will be suffering for decades to come, both physical and psychological trauma, and their families will be equally affected. Monies will need to be allocated to care for these individuals, some of which may never be able to work at normal jobs again. And given the current burden on the nation in terms of uninsured, this will continue to be a problem.

3) National Guard. While rebuilding the military will be a challenge, rebuilding the National Guard could be almost impossible. Let's face it, with extended tours, employment interruptions and in many cases, the financial ruin of small businesses, only a true patriot would even consider signing up. Fortunately there are patriots. But a depleted Guard could be costly for domestic preparedness and it will be a tough sell in many communities.

4) Overseas instability. The Middle East has been a mess for millennia. This is well documented. What the US has managed to do is provide the disgruntled a focus. It is quite possible this focus could do more harm in the long run than good. History is 20-20, but there will be many wondering what the motivation was in destabilizing the region. There are many now asking that question and still not getting a good answer.

There are dozens of other issues that will have to be addressed by the new administration(s). Unfortunately, I do not honestly think they will address any of them, at least any more than they have to.