How could the United States possibly profit off of the war in Iraq if it has cost us half a Trillion dollars?

Question

Don't drop your koolaid!

Oil? We couldn't just buy 16,666,666,666 barrels of oil? Don't be an idiot, even if we got all of Iraq's oil, for free, it would take 50 years to pay us back.

They attacked out economy knowing we'd start a war, which we thought would be good for our economy. Normally, it is. However, we're so deep in debt to begin with that we're pretty much screwing ourselves.

**The guys sh*ting in caves out thought the PhD holding consultants of the president?!??! I heard that Osama will be taking on Deep Blue in chess next week.**

oooh ok, ok. I get it. Bush is a psychopathic mastermind who, from the first time he ran for office, had a plan to become the president, go to war, and make money by inflating oil prices and getting contracts for all of his buddies, regardless of the fact that to do so thousands of Americans would die, along with Iraqi civilians. I'm sure he planned 9/11 for 'street cred'. This might be more believable if the man could pronounce the word 'nuclear'.

As for being in league with the 'merchants of death'... Halloween is Wednesday, try again then.

You're just trying to deceive us that Bush's only motivation is stupidity, aren't you.

**You're right, he accidentally went to war. It's called liberating 21 million Iraqis, It's sad that you're so cynical**

You want 9 years of college economics shrunk down to a few sentences?

**Graduate already**

Future generations of the United States will be in debt because of this quagmire.

**I love how quagmires are getting shorter and shorter. Take for instance, the 'Quagmire' in Japan. It took 8 years to prop up a government there, and that was without people blowing themselves up all over the place. We should have pulled out and let those bastards rot in chaos!**

Every single assumption this admin makes on policy is based on ideologic fantasy..

**Iraqi's still free? Check
Tax cuts creating record revenues? Check
Higher approval rating that congress?
Check
As opposed to the Dems in congress who have... uhh.. raised the price index with an unnecessary minimum wage hike. You want to talk about ideological ‘hogwashery’? Look at the Democrats’ economic policy.”

Answer 1

Good question! let me enlighten you.

Because the war feeds the military-industrial complex which, in theory, it improves the economy.


And when it is said that war is good for America....they are referring to the merchants of death (like Blackwater and Halliburton) who gain from the war, not America in general.


For more information on this please click:

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Military-industrial_complex

Answer 2

OK. To my knowledge no one ever said we went there for profit.
As to the whole oil thing, that's horse crap! Theres more oil seeping out of the ground in Northern Iraq than the country has capacity to put into barrels. I got pictures. So I agree with a few of your points towards the bottom of your looooooong remarks box. Mostly about the Dem's thinking they got a handle of whats going on there. In MY honest opinion Nobody knows whats going on there anymore. But W has the best vantage point So I would say to everybody out there if you don't know shut yer pie holes and pay close attention to the people who have been there and seen.

Relax this years almost over time to get that good Christmas Spirit going folks :)

Answer 3

It is readily apparent that this is the single worst President we've had since Buchanan. Every single assumption this admin makes on policy is based on ideologic fantasy. The greatest pack of self delusional hogwashery was that the Iraqis would desire "American liberation" and that the war would pay for itself.

This war backrupts the country. Republicans who supported the President in 2004 should be ashamed of themselves. And I don't even get how anybody can still support the President or the Republican Party (the Political Party of Bible thumping morons)

Answer 4

Future generations of the United States will be in debt because of this quagmire.

CORPORATIONS like Halliburton, Blackwater, Bechtel, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Boeing, DynCorp, Northrop Grumann, General Dynamics, General Electric, Custer Battles and Kellogg, Brown & Root have Profited handsomely.
If the Iraqi Government passes the "Hydrocarbon Law" Profits will increase even more for Exxon, Chevron, shell, Conoco, BP...

Answer 5

"The US" meaning the country as a collective? We can't. Wars cost money and the money paying for the war comes out of your pocket as taxes.

"The US" meaning Americans individually and corporations, then yes. Profit making is running rampant. The war is driving up the cost of oil so Exxon shareholders are making money. Anyone employed by the military-industrial complex is making money because the government is buying more HUMVEEs, ammo, uniforms, body bags, medical supplies, and food. Government contractors of all sorts are making mad cash on war supplies. So are their shareholders.

Your average joe is getting screwed. Chances are the kids getting killed are not Park Ave penthouse kids with big family stock portfolios. Additionally, the rich can afford to pay for the war and are the ones making the money on it. There are both liberals and conservatives with stock in companies like Exxon, Halliburton, Boeing, etc. etc. Meanwhile, Average Joe is forking out $3.00 a gallon to gas up the car so he can go to work and pay taxes so the war can continue.

Answer 6

You want 9 years of college economics shrunk down to a few sentences? There are Phd's that could go on for hours with this. Besides it is unlikely that you know the difference between shorting and going long for 1 day. Watch the dollar go round and round, round and round ,round and round.

Keeping the dollar go round and round, the jobs increase, the exports go out. The other guy sends the imports in and that's what it's all about.

Answer 7

How much has the oil prices gone up since it started? Who owns the oil wells etc? And what is the Bush family heavily invested in? Oil. Therefore, the US president and his family is profiting, being as he IS the US as far as the rest of the world is concerned, the US has profited from the war.

Answer 8

It's only the american taxpayer who has paid for the war. The friends of George W Bush have made a vast amount of money. Where do you think most of it has gone? It doesn't vanish into thin air.

Answer 9

The United States as a country is going deeper into debt, in more ways than one, as a result of Bush's little war in Iraq.

The "profits" you speak of go to corporations.

Does Halliburton ring a bell?

Answer 10

This is where the terrorists got us good.

They attacked out economy knowing we'd start a war, which we thought would be good for our economy. Normally, it is. However, we're so deep in debt to begin with that we're pretty much screwing ourselves.

Answer 11

The issue isn't whether the US profits from the war. The issue is companies that win government contracts that profit from the war. One such criticized company is KBR/Halliburton which was once led by current Vice President Cheney. Some believe Cheney's connections (and stock in Halliburton/KBR) resulted in KBR receiving billion dollar contracts.