Facts Worth Remembering Today

A must read by Jim Vandehei, co-founder, Politico, and UW Oshkosh alum

Something big has been missing from the general election campaign since its official start a week ago: serious discussion and focus by the candidates on the two wars the United States is waging against the persistent threat of terrorism.

John McCain and Barack Obama are hitting pause on the wars over sexism, lipstick and mudslinging to remember the deadly attacks of seven years ago. As they do, here are five indisputable facts worth considering:

1. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, offered Congress a grim take Tuesday on the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan. Suicide bombings are soaring. The Taliban is surging. The United States has 34,000 U.S. troops there — and more are getting killed in Afghanistan than Iraq. The nation lost 117 soldiers in 2007 — and is on pace to lose many more than that in 2008.

Mullen said he is not convinced we’re winning the war — and other experts argue the 4,500 additional troops on the way will be insufficient to turn the tide.

2. The United States still has 146,000 troops in Iraq (157,000 if you include Kuwait) — and that will change very little before the next president takes office. President Bush announced this week that 8,000 will be withdrawn by February — in large part to help move more forces into Afghanistan.

There is reason for hope in Iraq: The combination of the surge in U.S. troops, improved assistance from Iraqi security forces and the success of U.S. Special Forces has reduced violence and death in Iraq. There is also reason for fear: U.S. officials remain uncertain that the calm will last. As Bush said this week, “the enemy in Iraq is still dangerous.” There have been 4,155 U.S. casualties in Iraq since the war began.

3. Bush in July secretly approved orders to allow Special Operations forces to strike suspected terrorists in Pakistan without the approval of the Pakistani government, according to The New York Times.

The next president will be forced to determine how we deal with the very unforgiving terrain of Pakistan, where many terrorists plot and live — and which continues to go through a potentially destabilizing political transition.The next president will also be left with a hostile Iranian government with nuclear ambitions, a very unstable North Korea (whose supreme leader may or may not be seriously ill), an uncertain and dangerous Syria and an increasingly bellicose Russia.

4. The United States has spent at least $858 billion on the two wars, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The U.S. budget deficit is projected to be $407 billion this year and $438 billion next year.

5. The country lost 2,974 people in the attacks that took place on this day seven years ago. No domestic terrorist attacks have transpired in the United States since.

In 2002 and 2004, roughly 25 percent of all Americans considered terrorism and national security the country’s top problem. Today, 4 percent do.

Alexander Burns contributed to this story.

A link to the story is here.

-Bryan

Staggering Iraq War Numbers

Citizen Action of Wisconsin today released on WisPolitics.com state and local costs of the Iraq War. Below is the press release:

Citizen Action of Wisconsin: Releases state and local cost of war numbers on 5th anniversary of Iraq invasion
3/19/2008
Contact: Robert Kraig
(414) 322-5324

Brings Attention to Lost Opportunities to Invest in Wisconsin

Milwaukee: As the Iraq war enters its 5th year today, there is an overwhelming public consensus that the Bush Administration’s invasion has failed to achieve any of its major objectives. On top of the international relations disaster and the deaths of nearly 4,000 American troops and nearly 100,000 Iraqis the misguided invasion has wrought, there is growing public attention to the consequences of the war for vital domestic priorities such as health care and education.

To mark the 5th anniversary of the war, Citizen Action is releasing today estimates of what Wisconsin, and individual Wisconsin cities could have done in 2008 alone with their share of Iraq war spending. The data was obtained from National Priorities Project. Citizen Action is also holding events in Green Bay and Eau Claire later today to bring attention to the local cost of the Iraq war.

In 2008 alone, Wisconsin residents will pay an astounding $1.3 billion for additional proposed Iraq war spending. For the same outlay, 861,342 people could have received health care coverage; 89 new elementary schools could have been built, 198,642 college scholarships could have been given, and 29,904 public safety officers could have been hired.

As the following chart shows, these lost opportunities to invest in Wisconsin are significant at the local level.

2008 Iraq War Spending by Wisconsin Municipality

Milwaukee Area $203.7 Million
Madison Area $119.4 Million
Green Bay Area $59.9 Million
Racine Area $51.6 Million
Appleton Area $45.4 Million
Janesville/Beloit Area $39.4 Million
Wausau Area $32.3 Million
Eau Claire Area $20.8 Million
Manitowoc Area $20.4 Million
Oshkosh $13.5 Million
Sheboygan $11.6 Million
La Crosse $9.2 Million
Superior Area $8.7 Million

The local share of war spending could have been used to make major investments in the economic vitality and quality of life in Wisconsin’s major cities. For example, for Milwaukee’s share, 4,506 public safety officers could have been hired. In Oshkosh, 2,002 college scholarships could have been given, and in Appleton 3 new elementary schools could have been built.

“Five years of war in Iraq are five years too many,” said Linda Honold, Executive Director of Citizen Action of Wisconsin. “With an economic recession making it harder than ever for Wisconsin families to make ends meet, the human and economic costs of the war in Iraq are unaffordable and unconscionable. Congress must reverse the administration’s upside-down priorities, end the war and invest in America’s future.”

-Bryan