Posted on by Rmuse

Americans Still Pay Dearly For George W. Bush’s Crusade Against Islam

Mission Accomplished

As Congress reconvenes after a very generous 5-week paid vacation courtesy of beleaguered American taxpayers’ largesse, their first order of business is passing a spending bill for fiscal 2016. Of course, part and parcel of that process will include religious Republicans attempting to defund Planned Parenthood because fetus, hatred of women, and that “bizarre, inbred abortion posing as Christianity.” The other major obstacle besides attempting to control women is the Republican predilection to maintaining sequestration’s austerity spending levels for domestic programs while increasing funding for the military way beyond the 2015 levels. As a reminder, the 2015 budget included approximately 60 percent for war and about 40 percent for domestic spending; during peacetime.

This is important because although America is officially in peacetime, Americans are still paying dearly for George W. Bush’s war of aggression against innocent Iraqi Muslims at the behest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It is beyond dispute that there is a clear and present threat to innocent civilians in the Middle East from Islamic State (IS, ISIL, or ISIS) extremists, but it is also beyond refute that without Bush’s “crusade” against Muslims in Iraq, there would be no such thing as the Islamic State. In fact, there would be no such thing as a “civil war” in Syria if America did not assist Iraqi Shias drive millions of Iraqi Sunnis, Baathists, and Saddam’s military commanders out of Iraq and into Syria. In brief, George W. Bush and company created ISIS and since America created the mess, it is unfortunate, but it is its responsibility to clean it up.

Even though Bush’s religious crusade against Islam will eventually cost Americans well over $6 trillion dollars according to conservative estimates made in 2011, that figure will surely increase drastically due to interest payments on borrowed money, the expense to care for thousands of permanently injured American soldiers for the rest of their lives, and the continuing military cost to deal with George W. Bush’s special creation ISIS. Last week some concerned Americans outraged at the decrepit state of the nation’s infrastructure posed a valid question; “How much is it costing taxpayers for each air strike against known ISIS targets?” The figure is staggering to say the least; particularly when that number is multiplied by the increasing number of isolated, single-target air strikes that occur much more frequently than any American realizes.

It is important to note that the cost to battle ISIS is still an Iraq War expense. What is curious is why every citizen in American is not outraged every single time a Republican, or Bush relative running for president, claims invading Iraq was a great idea; an idea that the preponderance of Republicans and some Israeli Democrats are clamoring to repeat.

Just to get an idea of how much an unnecessary Bush war of aggression is still costing American taxpayers it is useful to consider the cost of a “typical” single American air strike against extremists Bush created in Syria and Norther Iraq. Republicans can make any bovine excrement claim they want, but there was no Islamic State, or ISIS, until after America invaded and occupied Iraq; the nation that had no part in terrorism against the United States.

According to a Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) report, “Estimating the Cost of Operations Against ISIL,” American taxpayers spend approximately $2.5 million for one single air-strike against ISIL in Syria and Iraq. Included in that cost is intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance most of which is provided by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV); wear and tear on either one F-15, F-14, F/A-18 that will carry 3 weapons and drop only two on one target. Fuel costs for the actual strike vehicle plus fuel for in-flight refueling vehicles. The $2.5 million cost escalates very quickly if, for example, the number of ‘strikes’ increases minimally where another Navy aircraft carrier is needed which adds at least $200,000 per strike.

That $2.5 million figure for one isolated airstrike is, according to CSBA, for what the military regards as a “low-intensity operation” that does not include multiple aircraft striking multiple targets during one air strike. If multiple strikes are necessary, which they most certainly have been as ISIL has grown in numbers and expanded its range of influence, the expense rises exponentially due to the “logistics chain getting much thicker as targets increase.” The military says that like in many commercial enterprises, there is no such thing as “economy of scale” in military actions that are evolving and growing; translation, there is no discount for attacking more targets with more hardware.

It is stunning, really, that mainstream media is not reporting the cost of American military action against an extremist organization created by George W. Bush’s folly and “crusade” against Islam; particularly since most Republicans and all the candidates seeking the Republican nomination for the presidency are calling for increased military action in the Middle East as well as increased funding for the military. Last year this country spent inordinately more, 15 to 20 percent, for the military than it did for domestic operations and it still is not enough for Republicans.

Although $2.5 million for one military fighter jet to bomb one target may seem like a paltry sum of money in the grand scheme of federal spending in one year, and a cost the country should bear to clean up its previous war criminal president’s own mess. However, when one calculates the increasing number of air strikes to deal with George W. Bush’s creation while Republicans claim there is no money to help poverty-wage workers, hungry children, or homeless Veterans, or to repair even one of the over 70,000 bridges rated as “dangerously deficient,” it is safe to say this country exists for war.

It is true George W. Bush is no longer in office, or where he belongs in a penitentiary for war crimes against humanity, but Americans are still, and will continue, paying for his administration’s war of aggression against Islam. Americans will also continue being subjected to Republican fear mongering to justify increasing military spending during peacetime while Republican slash and burn every aspect of the federal government.

Sadly, Republicans are going to continue having a fair measure of success because they are doing a remarkable job distracting Americans with the fetus, the immigrant, the ISIS, the minority and the newest distraction evangelical martyrs. Hopefully, President Obama is not distracted and can possibly resist the temptation to increase spending for bombs with his veto pen and “encourage” Republicans to allot half of fiscal year 2016 spending on America, but there is no use holding one’s breath because in “structurally violent America,” war sells even during peacetime.

24 Replies to “Americans Still Pay Dearly For George W. Bush’s Crusade Against Islam”

  2. …I concur…people KNOW Le Shrub and the NeoConArtists screwed us, {A process continued gleefully by Teahadists and Teatards} they just don’t realize how much…
    …question is; have we passed the point of no return???

  5. All very true and yet Fox “News” and the MSM continue letting Republicans, and Dick Cheney in particular, get away with blaming President Obama for ISIL.

  6. DJ, you beat me to it! It would be nice if the two undeclared, (Cantwell (WA) and Collins (on the Republican side)), say yes also but, I am glad it’s 41!!

  8. I wonder if the country will ever recover from the Bush Presidency? So much waste, so little accountability.

  10. Turkey invades Iraqi Kurdistan
    Turkish ground troops entered northern Iraq on Tuesday as part of a short-term operation to capture Kurdish rebels who had crossed the border after an attack that killed 16 soldiers, a government official in Turkey said.
    The military was pursuing militants from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or P.K.K., who had been involved in recent attacks against Turkish security forces, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity in line with government protocol.
    The size of the operation was not immediately clear, but the Dogan news agency, citing military sources, said two battalions had entered northern Iraq.
    http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/09/world/europe/turkey-pkk-bombing-police.html?_r=1

  12. Americans are still paying dearly for George W. Bush’s war of aggression against innocent Iraqi Muslims at the behest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

    Sharon was prime minister of Israel at the time of the invasion. Followed by Olmert, then in 2009 Netanyahu. Obama elected in 08, Netanyahu never severed as PM when GW was in office. Unless of course it was from 96 -99 then it would have been Clinton as POTUS.
    What is curious is why every citizen in American is not outraged every single time a Republican, or Bush relative running for president, claims invading Iraq was a great idea; an idea that the preponderance of Republicans and some Israeli Democrats are clamoring to repeat.

    Because the war was OK’ed by congress and the UN. And that they violated 17 terms of the cease fire. Only 2 of which mentioned WMD.
    ISIS is as much Obama’s fault as GW.
    Open your eyes and realize that you are being led like sheep to the slaughter.

  13. How is ISIS a s much Obama’s fault as bush? You do know ISIS is made up of the disbanded Baathist army of Iraq which happened all under Bush. You do know they are pissed because of the ethnic cleansing by the Shia who we installed under Bush. You do know the difference between Sunnis and Shia Muslims?

  14. K Wolfe, just read this morning that Sen. Cantwell is on board for the Iran deal. Sen. Murray is also.

  18. sorry I didn’t reply back yesterday my connection was slow. Anyway…..

    He could have negotiated to keep an American presence within Iraq, just like we did in korea, Germany, japan, guam, etc. the reason was to not let a power vacuum be created. John McCain said at one time it would be a 50 year presence. Not combat but preventing what has happened. We stayed in Germany to prevent the soviets from taking over.
    Obama could have started the drone strikes in aug of ’13 when the Iraqi’s were asking him to. Rather just joking about them being a JV team. Speaking of drones, ramp up the number of drone strikes. Rather than a few a day that many don’t even put ordinance on target (that is from an article I read about the pilots there, cant remember where I read it)
    Admit his mistake. He is human, I do not dislike the man just disagree, but I make mistakes, you make mistake and even he does. Ask Michele if you don’t believe me. Forgiveness is there if admittance is there.
    Cont.—-…

  19. He could also admit that, sorry you aint going to like this, we need boots on the ground. With out troops there we really have no presence. We need a coalition. Not just us but the entire world to be frank. ISIS is a threat to all people in this world.
    I am willing to give credit where credit is due so yes GW shares the blame. The war was mishandled from the get go. But he is not a war criminal, the US congress and the UN gave him the go ahead. The Dems didn’t turn against the war until it was politically advantageous for them.
    Any way tired of typing we can discuss more later if you want.

  20. So you want to re invade Iraq again? I guess 4500 dead and when is all said and done 6 trillion wasn’t enough for you? No the UN did not give him a greenlight to invade. What the UN said was if Iraq didn’t comply with the inspections then invasion was an option. Iraq was complying the UN was doing inspections and it was bush and blair who said not good enough we want regime change. He is a war criminal.A war of aggression, sometimes also war of conquest, is a military conflict waged without the justification of self-defense, usually for territorial gain and subjugation. The phrase is distinctly modern and diametrically opposed to the prior legal international standard of “might makes right”, under the medieval and pre-historic beliefs of right of conquest. Since the Korean War of the early 1950s, waging such a war of aggression is a crime under the customary international law.

  21. Tide, Read this:
    ‘The Deafness Before The Storm’
    Bush/Cheney knew it was coming and did Nothing!
    ————————————-
    “IT was perhaps the most Famous Presidential Briefing in History”
    “On Aug. 6, 2001 President George W. Bush received a classified review of the threats posed by Osama bin Ladin and his network Al Qaeda.

    No warning given to the Airlines.
    No high level of Security Given.
    Our Strong Defense was distracted on training missions.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/11/opinion/the-bush-white-house-was-deaf-to-9-11-warnings.html?_r=0

  23. Yvonne, They will try to steal 2016 as well!
    GOP told The Supreme Court RIGHTWINGER’s:

    “We Must Win Election 2008 so we can destroy Iraq”

    That’s why the Supremes said:
    Stop Counting The Votes: BUSH WON ELECTION!

    And…They will do it again.
    This Time…It’s IRAN!

  24. I posted this over at TPV
    This is the aftermath of bush grand mis-adventure

    Lets see if I got this straight. Our ally Turkey who is supposed to be attacking ISIS is attacking our ally the Kurds. The Kurds who is fighting ISIS have to fight against the Shia who we trained . Now the great enemy Iran who we cant stand is fighting ISIS while helping Syria. Now the Shia instead of trying to unify Iraq are attacking the Sunni’s who are filling the ranks of ISIS. I wont even mention the gulf states. One minute they are funding ISIS the next they are bombing them Which bring us to Hezbollah who is helping Syria but is still in conflict with Israel who is bombing Syrian positions that helps the free front of Syria or some Islamist group who are nothing more than Ai-Qaeda rejects. Now the Russians are coming. If this shit wasn’t so tragic it would make a great Broadway comedy

    But its Obamas fault

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