Does anybody have the exact amount of American TAX DOLLARS bush spent on spreading pro-war propaganda in Iraq?

Question

7) Making, ordering and condoning false statements and propaganda about the conduct of foreign governments and individuals and acts by U.S. government personnel; manipulating the media and foreign governments with false information; concealing information vital to public discussion and informed judgment concerning acts, intentions and possession, or efforts to obtain weapons of mass destruction in order to falsely create a climate of fear and destroy opposition to U.S. wars of aggression and first strike attacks.

Oh, good gracious alive, people. This is old news, it is a FACT that the Pentagon and the bush regime PAID Iraq media to use planted stories. I was just trying to remember the dollar amount it cost the American taxpayer!

How is it possible that you people are even able to walk and talk and feed yourselves when you DENY REALITY EVERY SINGLE DAY????

“Federal authorities are actively investigating dozens of American television stations for broadcasting items produced by the Bush administration and major corporations, and passing them off as normal news. Some of the fake news segments talked up success in the war in Iraq, or promoted the companies' products.”

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article621189.ece

“WASHINGTON, Nov. 30 - Titled "The Sands Are Blowing Toward a Democratic Iraq," an article written this week for publication in the Iraqi press was scornful of outsiders' pessimism about the country's future.
"Western press and frequently those self-styled 'objective' observers of Iraq are often critics of how we, the people of Iraq, are proceeding down the path in determining what is best for our nation," the article began. Quoting the Prophet Muhammad, it pleaded for unity and nonviolence.
But far from being the heartfelt opinion of an Iraqi writer, as its language implied, the article was prepared by the United States military as part of a multimillion-dollar covert campaign to plant paid propaganda in the Iraqi news media and pay friendly Iraqi journalists monthly stipends, military contractors and officials said.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/01/politics/01propaganda.html

“Could this be the brainchild of Bush advisor Karen Hughes (pictured above) who learned a lot of what she knows from White House domestic policy advisor Karl Rove, and who is currently in charge of selling the U.S. image in the Arab world?
Some very good reporting has been done about how the Bush Admin has been paying news commentators to tout its policy, and how they have sent video news releases touting its education policy, for example, to lazy, cheap local TV stations that run them as news. And they have been rapped on the knuckles and kicked in the behind for doing so, especially during last year's election.
But no matter. Can't do it here, but we can do it over there. That's the thinking. Yipes. Is U.S. credibility not hurt enough abroad right now? This is a bad business. Paying for journalism is always a bad business.”

http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/brandnewday/archives/2005/12/the_pentagon_an.html

I think it was between $200-250 MILLION DOLLARS.

Yikes, that could have bought a lot of food for the poor. Or college loans and greants. Or heating for the elderly. Or ...well, you get the point.

phillip - IT WAS ABOUT $200-250 MILLION TAX DOLLARS.

It happened. We spent the money. Can you READ?

Oh? Is that why we went into Iraq? is that the reason du jour? to "oust a dictator?"

When do we get started on the several dozen "dictators" spread all over the rest of the world, then?

To Elaine" But then the Rightwingnuts wouldn't have been exposed to FACTS and TRUTH. Now would they?

Answer 1

I don't know how much it was, but it was money that would have been better spent on better armor, equipment and training for our troops.

All the same, invading Iraq is the biggest f*ck up in American history. Bush and about half of his administration should hang for treason for lying our way into this quagmire.

The brutal truth is that Iraq was better off under Saddam Hussein. Sure he was an evil, murderous bastard. But he was a PREDICTABLE evil murderous bastard. He was also a secular tyrant and was unable to get the support to do serious damage that these Islamist fanatics are able to get. Hussein was a bastard, but he hated the Islamists and was more useful to the US alive and in charge than he is dead.

And you neocon f*ckwits can call me unpatriotic all you like. I have a DD214 that says otherwise. Supporting a deserting coward president and his 5 times draft deferment VP in a futile war is NOT patriotic.

Am I angry? You'd better f*cking believe it.

Answer 2

I have posted 2 amounts:

To estimate the cost of the Iraqi war to the U.S. government, I'll assume, as most people do, that the war started in late March 2003. It should be noted, though, that this is not quite accurate. The war has actually been going on more or less continuously since January 1991. In the 1990s, the U.S., British, and French governments established a "no-fly zone" over which they patrolled so that the Iraqi military would not go there, and they often bombed and strafed to enforce this restriction. But put that aside for these purposes. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that in fiscal years 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006, the U.S. government spent $46 billion, $68 billion, $53 billion, and $87 billion carrying out the war. In other words, the U.S. government spent $254 billion through Sept. 30, 2006 (the end of fiscal year 2006). It will almost certainly spend a minimum of $400 billion before the U.S. role in the war is over. Ironically, this $400 billion is well above the $100 to $200 billion estimate that my former Council of Economic Advisers colleague, Larry Lindsey, gave while a member of the Bush administration. This estimate got Lindsey into hot water because various of his critics in the administration claimed it was too high. The $46 billion in fiscal 2003 is really a $92 billion rate for the calendar year because the period from late March to the end of September is the last half of the fiscal year. So the average for the last four fiscal years is $75 billion a year ($92b + $68b + $53b + $87b all divided by four.)

Let's assume an annual budget cost of $75 billion. Billions, to most people, are abstractions. So let's put it in individual or family terms. There are approximately 300 million individuals in the United States and approximately 120 million families. So, the average cost per American resident per year has been $75 billion divided by 300 million, or $250. The average cost per family has been about $625 per year. And that has been for four years.


READ DOWN.
These figures are in millions.
http://www.solarpowerrocks.com/solar-trends/a-sick-graph-2/
Above is a graph you can view

The source for energy R&D expenditures is from the National Council for Science and the Environment. Take a look here.Though the war in Iraq now costs about $120B a year, two authors (one a Nobel prize winner) estimates the total cost of this war exceeds 2 Trillion Dollars.

“Accrued liabilities for U.S. federal employees’ and veterans’ benefits now total $4.5 trillion. Indeed, our debt for veterans’ health and disability payments has risen by $228 billion in the past year alone…The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the interest payments on the money borrowed to finance the Iraq war will total $264 billion to $308 billion.”

That $2,000,000,000,000? Well, that amount of money could’ve built solar thermal plants here that would have provided energy for 2/3rds of our nation’s energy demand.

Answer 3

Listen to the Party Line..."mainstream Liberal media." They say these buzzwords with no basis in fact, no evidence, no truthfulness. Let's take the Wall Street Journal, for instance, or the New York Post. Both Conservative mainstream newspapers. Let's take Fox News...definitely conservative. For every liberal media, there is a conservative media. So why lump them all into a Rush Limbaugh contempt?

It is a fact that George Bush employs expensive Public Relations Firms to polish his image and manipulate information. Not only that, but he has employed fake reporters to attend Press Conferences and ask the right questions. One of them was found to be a "male escort." He has also employed writers to send false news reports to various media outlets. This is all fact and can be verified by checking it out.

At the moment, a portion of your tax dollars (or money we have borrowed from China) goes to a Public Relations firm to improve the image of the Bush Administration at home and abroad, spread cheerful news on the "Surge," and convince the American people that the Decider knows best.

Answer 4

This is what's so sad about these nutty right wingers.... You can give them information that can be so easily PROVEN and that they can find out FOR THEMSELVES if they really wanted to. But they still rant and rave about the "crazy liberals".

They'll just keep right on believing their delusions....

The war has cost little to nothing.
Only innocent U.S. soldiers and a few big bad terrorists have died.
Bush has been completely honest throughout his political career.
The Bush Administration has tried their very best to strengthen the middle class.
Saddam Hussein was Osama bin Laden's buddy.
Iraq has WMDs hidden somewhere. We just haven't found them yet.
Bush has kept us safe.
The economy is thriving.
The employment rate is at an all time high.
The C.I.A didn't create al-Qaeda.
Water boarding isn't torture.
U.S. involvement with the Taliban has always been good intentioned.
Homosexuals corrupt society and the holy institution of marriage.
Satan is the prince of this world, but he couldn't possibly influence the righteous George W. Bush.

LOL! IGNORANCE MUST BE LIKE THE ULTIMATE CRACK HIGH! HA!

Answer 5

"To deny reality every single day" sounds like a liberal to me. Since Democrats supported Saddam's ouster by passing a resolution to that effect to blame the whole thing on Bush is a big time denial of reality.

Answer 6

I just wanted to post in order to support you for bringing such atrocities to light. I know not all republicans are the same and some people just support Bush regardless because he is the president. My favorite bumper sticker:

VOTE REPUBLICAN! It's easier than thinking

Answer 7

Obviously it was a lot...By the answers some still believe Saddam supported Al Qaeda and in wmd....It's been pushed down their throats so deep they'll never believe the truth.

Answer 8

It's not Bush's money, so what does he care? BTW: His administration also pay people to refute, delete answers & boost his image right here on Y!A. Not everyone that answers supporting him are "real" supporters, they ar being paid to do so. He desperately wants to boost his ratings & salvage his legacy. Personally, I think it's too late!

Answer 9

This is my most favorite thing about Yahoo Answers.

Somebody posts a fact, anybody can google it for themselves, look it up, read about it....and people will come right on here and deny it.

It's delicious!

Answer 10

4 trillion ninety six dollars and 47 cents