Bush Stays the Course As 2,826 U.S. Soldiers Die

101 U.S. soldiers died in Iraq during October--the worst U.S. monthly death toll since the unprovoked war began. While there may not be any WMDs in Iraq, there are Halliburton contracts worth more than $10 billion.

A report by the inspector general's office overseeing Iraq spending found that at least 55 percent, or $163 million, of $296 million in total costs rung up by Halliburton unit KBR went to expenses such as back-office support, transportation and security. That percentage was significantly higher than it was on work by other firms in Iraq, and experts said it is far above what is typically found on a government contract. KBR is reimbursed for its costs and then receives a percentage for profit on top, an arrangement that critics contend has given the firm an incentive to run up its bills.

That must be some consolation to President Bush and Vice President Cheney, as the U.S. death toll three and one half years after MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! rises to 2,826.
President Bush won't ever agree to remove U.S. troops from Iraq. When the WMD pretext was shown to be a sham, he switched our reason for being there to creating democracy in Iraq. When Iraqis wrote their constitution and had parliamentary elections, Bush said we couldn't leave until all the "terrorists" who wanted U.S. troops out were "defeated." This is, of course, impossible, since they are Iraqis who (1) live there and (2) want us out of their country as badly as the Minutemen wanted to oust the British a few years back.

The November 7 elections will be a referendum on the GOP bait-and-switch policy that's cost the U.S. taxpayer more than $300 billion, money that could have been spent at home on useful projects, as well as the hideous death toll for U.S., coalition forces and Iraqi soldiers and civilians.