GogglesPisano

Economists call this, "sunk cost." Most people call it throwing good money after bad. We should have stayed out of it when we had the chance. We definitely shouldn't go back in, because we were once there.

Timbo

Yeahbut...there's a lot of money in war.

And look at all the jobs that are being created. Ask Dick Cheney how his Halliburton stock is doing since we went into Iraq...

This very funny book was written after Gulf War 1, 1991 time frame, but just as relevant today:

http://www.amazon.com/Give-War-Chanc...rds=pj+orourke

In the spirit of his savagely funny and national best-seller Parliament of Wh0res, Give War a Chance is P. J. O'Rourke's number one New York Times best-selling follow-up. O'Rourke runs hilariously amok by tackling the death of Communism, sanctimonious liberals, and America's perennial bad guy Saddam Hussein in a series of classic dispatches from his coverage of the 1991 Gulf War. Here is our most mordant and unnervingly funny political satirist on: Kuwait City after the Gulf War: "It looked like all the worst rock bands in the world had stayed there at the same time." On Saddam Hussein, O'Rourke muses: "He's got chemical weapons filled with ... chemicals. Maybe he's got The Bomb. And missiles that can reach Riyadh, Tel Aviv, Spokane. Stock up on nonperishable foodstuffs. Grab those Diet Coke cans you were supposed to take to the recycling center and fill them up with home heating oil. Bury the Hummel figurines in the yard. We're all going to die. Details at eleven."

Ferd149

This

Very interesting book written by PM George's (England) granddaughter called "Paris 1919" I got it for the mid-east chapters but it's all good.

T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) and an Arab delegation went to Paris with a plan on what to do along tribal and religious lines. But, the Brits and French knew better

Also, supposedly a great Winston Churchill quote from the 1920s......."The Iraqis are the most ungrateful people on the face of the earth"

Grumble

I love all the finger pointing at the last two presidents.

What does it matter? This is the problem NOW and as was pointed out, was going on for a long time prior to anyone on this board ever being born.

Timbo, the crux of the issues over there are way more complicated than what spurred the revolutionary and civil wars (which started in 1775 and 1861 btw).

For those that keep chanting Halliburton... Never saw them over there or in A'stan. Fluor however is a massive company you've never heard of that is running everything over there, and making billions off the US taxpayer in the process.

http://www.fluor.com/pages/default.aspx

JamesNoBrakes

How exactly is it a problem for me?

Timbo

So...what's your solution for their problem, NOW?

Go back in, or stay away and let them sort it out?

Grumble

Seriously? Because if oil spikes (massive increase in fuel prices for airlines) and Iran starts pulling the strings of the Iraqi gov't, never mind the price of a barrel of oil spiking... We're talking the complete collapse of the Petrodollar.

Iran is also closely aligned with Russia, see article below.

It's also why Russia is backing the Syrian regime, to prevent a NG pipeline from feeding Europe with ME natural gas and keeping Russia's strong hold on Europe's energy supply.

This is much bigger than just Baghdad falling to ISIS.

Russia Is Doing It ? Russia Is Actually Abandoning The Dollar


Timbo I have no answer for you, and neither has any politician. Which is why we have this mess.

galaxy flyer

Nuke 'me all, let Allah sort it out! He'll run out of virgins quickly.

GF

Grumble

KC10 FATboy

If you look at the time frame during OIF, yes Halliburton's stock went up, but it has been volatile with some dramatic ups and downs. They perform services that other companies do not, especially while getting shot at.

Am I a Halliburton fan, not really. But every modern era President and Administration has relied on Halliburton for certain services because they are the only ones who can do that type of work.

If you are going to blame Halliburton for capitalizing on the services requested by the DOD/Federal Government, then you should also say the same about companies such as AA, UAL, and DAL. They get troop movement contracts from the government/DOD and participate in the City-Pair Program, far from the cheapest airline tickets available.