THE COST OF FAILURE

In addition to the loss of lives and moral standing, the fiasco's of the "national security party" will also cost us a LOT of money, as USA Today reports:

Iraq and Afghanistan wars may total $2.4 trillion

By Ken Dilanian, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — The cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan could total $2.4 trillion through the next decade, or nearly $8,000 per man, woman and child in the country, according to a Congressional Budget Office estimate scheduled for release today.

The CBO estimates assume that 75,000 troops will remain in both countries through 2017, including roughly 50,000 in Iraq. That is a "very speculative" projection, though it's not entirely unreasonable, said Loren Thompson, a defense analyst at the non-partisan Lexington Institute.

	COMPARING U.S. WARS Cost of wars, adjusted for inflation: (in billions; FY 2008 dollars) World War II $3,900 Korea $456 Vietnam $518 Persian Gulf War $88 Iraq/Afghanistan $604 Sources: Congressional Budget Office, Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, USA TODAY research