icarus | Obama pledges to leave Iraq. Murtha makes the connection: billions wasted in Iraq & our economy. (Reply)

Barack Obama has pledged to end the Iraq war.

"I opposed this war in 2002. I will bring this war to an end in 2009. It is time to bring our troops home," he declared.

I don't think he can do it that quickly, but yes, his opposition to the war -- back when the outrage over 9/11 made it almost impossible to oppose -- that's why I like him.

Hillary, as far as I've heard, has not pledged to end the war. I respect the fact that she visited Iraq and Afghanistan last year and consequently was the first person to know that we were dangerously undermanned in Afghanistan. I also enjoyed the fact that her visit really pissed off the Bush administration. But I haven't heard her say that she will end this war.

Rep. Murtha talks about what the Iraq war is costing our economy. He's like

wildernessguru: pro-military. He's voicing what the military, including many, many retired generals, has been saying since 2003.

I make routinevisits to our troops in the field and to those recovering at ourmilitary hospitals. I'm inspired by their service and dedication tothis great country. But, the America they serve and protect today isfar different than the America that existed prior to the U.S. invasionof Iraq.

In just a few weeks,we will mark the fifth anniversary of the beginning of the war in Iraq.Five years later, the political and economic situation on the groundhas changed little, while the rest of the world, including the UnitedStates, has changed significantly.

We are familiar with the visible costs associated with the war inIraq and the sacrifices that our men and women in uniform and theirfamilies are making. We've lost nearly 4,000 troops, over 28,700 havebeen wounded and we have appropriated over $535 billion. But, we areless familiar with the hidden costs, and these will have long-termconsequences. Every penny of the $535 billion we've appropriated thusfar has been borrowed, meaning that the same Americans sacrificing inIraq today will be paying for this borrowed war for the rest of theirlives. It is estimated that the long-term costs of injuries alone willbe at least a further $300 billion.

Since the war began, the international credibility and respect ofthe United States has plummeted while instability has grown throughoutthe region. We've seen a dramatic rise in the economic, military andglobal influence of both Russia and China. An emboldened Iran seeks tomore aggressively assert influence in the region. Our NATO allies areunwilling or unable to provide an additional 3,000 troops forAfghanistan. And the price of oil has climbed from $27.18 per barrelbefore the war began to $92.82 today.

Here at home, we are borrowing $343 million every day to finance thewar in Iraq while shortchanging our domestic needs. The Americaneconomy is slipping towards a recession as our housing market andfinancial sector are experiencing serious crises. Gas at the pump hasincreased from $1.76 per gallon before the war began to its currentprice of $3.07 per gallon. Our national debt has ballooned by $2.75trillion, increasing by nearly $1 million per minute, while the valueof the American dollar relative to other currencies has plummeted.

In the military, we have seen a deterioration of readiness,equipment and recruitment standards. We are not able to maintain thenumber of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan without breaking themilitary's own guidelines. Before the Iraq war, 80 percent of all Armyunits and almost 100 percent of active-duty combat units were rated atthe highest level of military readiness. Just the opposite existstoday. Virtually all of our active-duty combat units in the UnitedStates, and all of our guard units, are rated not combat-ready. Thismeans that we can not sustain the current troop levels in Iraq andAfghanistan let alone provide a credible deterrent to other potentialadversaries.

In order to meet recruitment goals, the Army is accepting a higherpercentage of recruits who would previously have been disqualified fromservice because of the lack of a high school diploma, a previouscriminal record, drug or alcohol problems or a health condition. Sincethe invasion of Iraq, the percentage of Army recruits with a highschool diploma has decreased from 94 percent to 71 percent. Before thewar began, 4.6 percent of Army recruits required a waiver for acriminal record; today that figure has risen to 11.2 percent.

As I've said before, our ground forces in the United States simplydo not have their required equipment, and the equipment of our groundforces overseas is wearing out. It will take years and tens of billionsof dollars to rehabilitate this equipment and to re-equip the force.The Air Force operates and maintains a fleet of aircraft with anaverage age of 24 years. When I left Vietnam in 1967, the average ageof our aircraft was 8.5 years. The Navy's current shipbuilding requestis grossly inadequate to meet the goal of a 313 ship fleet whilemaintaining our naval superiority.

I haven't even mentioned the fiscal challenges we face with healthcare, education, infrastructure, and the Medicare and Social Securityprograms.

These aren't Democratic problems or Republican problems. These are American problems.

Our next President and the American people must understand that itwill require tremendous resources and strong bipartisan andinternational cooperation to begin to solve these problems. The futureof our great country depends on it.

I will note that oil companies have posted record profits again this year. Just like in 2005 and 2006 and... you get the idea. So big, in fact, that they fear people might feel cheated. O rly?