Blitzer: Iraqis playing U.S. taxpayers for 'suckers'?
Posted: 01:45 PM ET

The Bush administration had predicted Iraqi oil exports would finance reconstruction of the country.
WASHINGTON (CNN) — Just before and immediately after the U.S. launched its invasion of Iraq, Bush administration officials optimistically predicted that Iraqi oil exports would soon finance the reconstruction of the country. That didn’t happen. U.S. taxpayers were stuck with the literally tens of billions of dollars in bills.

Now, five years later and with the price of oil reaching more than $100 a barrel, Iraqi oil exports are generating huge sums — $56.4 billion this year alone, according to the Government Accountability Office. Senator Carl Levin, the Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, says Iraq now has tens of billions of dollars in surplus funds in their banks and in other accounts around the world, including about $30 billion in U.S. banks right now.

But Levin notes that the Iraqis by and large are still not using their money to build new roads, bridges, schools and hospitals. Why should they? Uncle Sam is still doing that for them.


“The result is that far from financing its own reconstruction, as the administration promised five years ago, the Iraqi government has left the U.S. to make most of the capital expenditures needed to provide essential services and improve the quality of life of the Iraqi citizens,” Levin said in his opening remarks before the testimony of Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker. “As of last Thursday,” Levin added, “the United States is paying the salaries of almost 100,000 Iraqis who are working on reconstruction.”

At a time of economic distress in the United States, including fears of recession, home foreclosures, job losses, infrastructure strains, and health care worries, U.S. lawmakers publicly are asking why the Iraqis themselves can’t pick up the tab for their own reconstruction. Privately, several of them are going one step further — asking whether they Iraqis actually are playing the U.S. taxpayers for suckers.

From: CNN Anchor Wolf Blitzer
Filed under: Wolf Blitzer

While I agree that we as a nation have a responsibilty to help rebuild in Iraq,

Come on!

U.S. National deficit $9,443,059,810,248.80

Should Iraqi's be responsible for some of their own rebuilding, or should we continue with our international welfare program and provide all the funding?

Dear USA,



Bend over. Again.






Allah be praised,
Iraq

__________________
.




"When I'm in command, every mission is a suicide mission!" -Capt. Zapp Branigan
The United Church of the Latter Day Tangential Tarts

This has come up a number of times.

I would be upset. Except that I can't blame them for wanting a little padding in their rear pocket as there is a good chance we'll pull the rug out from under them in about a year.

For all I know this financial stockpiling is endorsed by the current administration to give them a chance should a democrat win.

We broke it, we bought it. Maybe we should add another federal tax to our gas to help fund the Iraqi War