Inside Iraq - The cost of war - 16 May 08 - Part 1

[Drakohjin]

the price of the way total is almost 900 trillion dollars whats aftera trillion huh? in goes up thousands per second.... damn i saw it on some site of the goverment u could see the prices rise it was insane to... every country in the united states put forthatleast 1 trill or more amarica is doing at 800trill... wtf its not cheap.. mao

[dolongchunfengzhou]

Control the Middle East is the US' national interest. It is not only about the oil, it is the control of the world by controlling the oil.

[eighthgap]

Americans didn't invade Iraq, The George Bush Cabinet did! The American soldiers are acting under orders just like Saddam Hussein's soldiers fought when they didn't want to!

[coszz]

Bush was not democratically elected as president, guy in yellow tie.

[demonx406]

pathanzamir: You sir are clueless.

[pathanzamir]

The American Puppet Government working on the idology of Jews to create so called greater Israel from Egypt to Saudi Arabia (Madina city)and the Amercian are engaged in full filling the dream of Greater Israel. I sugget the Arab Rulers do not fight with Amercians (Jews) give them their land without war and accept the Jewism as religion they this world will be very peacful with one religion. Did you understand my idea MR.Arab Rulers. (have bangles in your hand and sit in home)

[covertone81]

Hitler: we must cut out society's cancer(the Jews),it may be hard for a time as we go to war for "breathing space" and then the German people will live in a utopian Aryan nation of pure blood Germans. Patrick Clawson of the Israeli lobby and neocon Washington Institute is going along the same kind of baseless ideology, without consideration of fact, that has brought so much death and destruction to mankind over the centuries. The neocons are the cancer--their removal however won't be as painful.

[saadasim]

The US is dying of cancer. The neocons are the cancer.

[MuslimGhost]

Dont forget the jews

[ehunter2]

Question to YouTubers..

Why would Hamas set up calling centers and computer rooms to monitor America and make appeals for Obama? Hmmm? Why would a terrorist organization impersonate Americans on the Internet (youtube) asking for tolerance, peace and love? Why is the #1 video submitter on YouTube..AlJazeera? Hmmm?

[endeavor8000]

A very odd choice of guests, considering Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes recent book on precisely this subject. Why should this be framed as a silly televised debate, a clash of opinions, when what you need is someone to tell hard facts?

[lastnymleft]

Stiglitz and Bilmes only talked about one very narrow aspect of the cost of the war: financial. They didn't look at other costs, or benefits, so it's appropriate that a broader view be taken. That being said, I haven't seen these guests cover the topic well, either.

Patrick Clausen: 'Let us do whatever the hell we want now, and at some undetermined time in the future, some undetermined thing, will make it all worthwhile.' We just need "faith". Just what we need: faith-based governance.

[endeavor8000]

I don't believe you have read the book. I suggest you do. It is usually a good idea to know what you are talking about. Unless, of course, if you think the title of a book make its contents superfluous.

[lastnymleft]

I spent about 20 minutes skimming it in a bookstore. Not enough to know the intimate detail, but enough to get the gist.

[endeavor8000]

In that case you must have skimmed over the chapters that deal with the human cost, the political costs, and the consequences for regional stability.

Anyway, I am fundamentally in agreement with you, and I also think that had you read the Stiglitz-Bilmes book, you'd agree it would make much more sense to bring them on than the present guest list. It especially is quite pointless to bring neocon apologist Clawson who predictably recycles Israel Lobby talking points(WINEP was founded by AIPAC)

[jklasdfjdfksl]

this program was framed in a way that poses the question that is not mentioned in US news: does the US have the right to attack any country at will, in violation of the UN and its charter? confronting talking points with the hard fact that the war was a criminal act of aggression gets down to critical issues that need to be addressed. getting this basic frame is critical to having any kind of serious discussion about a "cost/benefit analysis", an economic term that can be very misleading.

[jklasdfjdfksl]

getting the basic frame requires dispelling the talking points, which dominate western media, before moving on to the more intricate facts. these may have not been your ideal guests, but i thorougly enjoyed the show and found it to be a straightforward and effective method of serious discussion that is suitable for the casual viewer. it does not take stiglitz to grasp the basic and truthful framing principles that are necessary for common understanding of the issue.

[jklasdfjdfksl]

without understanding the criminal nature of the war, the conversation can easily devolve into arguments over the outcomes of fascist caluculations deciding how much net gain/profit the US has made. this question assumes the war is justified and the US has the right to war aggression at its whim.

[JCMalwar]

they are all full of shit especially the guy from egypt well lack of educatio its horribile why do they even ask them o come on when they know nothing besides their governments propaganda we should pity him though lack of freedoms poor guy

[MrTube99]

The united state of terrorism is the only one responsible for the tragedy in Iraq. The cruel president of terrorism (Push) has an open appetite for killing and torture. Americans are Israelies Slave. They seem to worship Israel.

[TheBestAmerican]

We, America, are the owner of the world

We are your MASTER

Come crawling faster

Obey your Master

Your life burns faster

Obey your Master

Master

[swankrecords]

Patrick Clausen is an idiot.

[JustinDejong]

This is supposed to be News? At least with such a right wing propoganda station like Fox News they at LEAST let the opposing side talk.

Look at this, the old man Out-shouts the US representative, so he gets to keep talking.

Now you have 2 on 1, plus an obviously biased reporter, I honestly can't understand why people say AlJazeera is supposedly "Unbiased" when their own hand-picked videos show nothing but the opposite.

Also- Guy who refutes the Holocaust using germany as an example. Sickening

[baronmorris]

Oh yeah, that Fox station is soooo "fair and balanced" - not.

On Al Jazeera the voice of the people, the vantage of the oppressed, gets equal footing with "official" views. And the guy didn't "refute the holocaust using Germany as an example" - that sentence doesn't even make sense. I'm an American, and the twirpy little weasel from Washington DC does NOT speak for me.

Peace! to all. :-D

Obama 08! & We Can't Wait!

[salim201]

hear hear. Al jazeera doesn't claim to be 'fair and balanced' all the time. its probably the most diverse international news channel in the world. remember most of the world sees the US as the single biggest threat to world peace, surely they have to reflect that world view.

[gumacyare]

Right. I also noticed that we have radical extremists in both the muslim world and the west.Muslims extremists can easily be noticed but western extremists are hard to notice untill you watch fox news.I think Americans now realize that they need to change the way Washington works.