Figures add up to long war on terror

The countdown towards the Iraqi elections continues, now just four days to go,and in America there are more signs the mission is far from over once the election’s done, with a demand for 61 billion euros in extra funding. The White House’s spokesman tried to put a determined face on it, but politicians in Washington are realising the spending in the war on terror is mounting up, none more so than veteran Democrat Robert Byrd. In a typical speech in Congress Byrd mixed acid comment with wry comparison, saying at one point the war had already cost “149 dollars a minute since Jesus Christ was born”.

The ballooning budget suggests a US presence in Iraq for at least the medium term, and that the war on terror is likely to widen in the coming months in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

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