The Unnecessary Cost of the War in Iraq - Essay Example

Paul Bremer, a senior civilian administrator in Iraq during the first year of the occupation says he, "complained to President Bush and other officials that far too few troops were committed to the occupation in the first year after Saddam Hussein was ousted" (Shanker, A6). Bremer even wrote a formal letter to Secretary Rumsfeld requesting two additional divisions, but Bremer contends, "he had never heard back from Mr. Rumsfeld" (Shanker, A6). The fact that the Defense Department would not even respond to the senior administrator on the ground in Iraq shows the degree of arrogance, if not incompetence, that has led our country into a quagmire of ill-advised decisions.

The decisions made at the White House have resulted in the unnecessary deaths and maiming of many of our finest young men and women. The death toll stands at almost 2,800 killed and another 10,000 wounded so severely that they will never be able to return to active duty (Shanker and Cloud, A14). A recent report by health inspectors has indicated that as many as 500,000 Iraqis may have died as a result of the war (Tavernise and McNeil, A16). We can not sustain or justify this level of human loss in this ill-conceived war.

The loss of life is in addition to the loss of our national treasury. The cost of the war has topped 320 million dollars and is mounting every day (Murray, A07). The rising deficit has resulted in a missed opportunity to fund health care, hunger, and education. We are sacrificing our nation's infrastructure to finance this foreign debacle. If not halted, the hemorrhaging of American dollars will result in a financially bankrupt nation. It is clear that the administration took on the task of invading Iraq with an undermanned army.

Though warned of too few troops, the President and Secretary Rumsfeld did nothing but ignore the problem. The resulting deaths of America's brave soldiers and Iraqi civilians have been too great to justify the results. America can not continue to finance this operation and ignore the pressing issues of health care, poverty, and education.