Quotes of the Morning: Mere Coincidence

“From deteriorating security in Afghanistan and Somalia to mayhem in the Middle East, confrontation with Iran and eroding relations with Russia, the White House suddenly sees crisis in every direction.”
-Washington Post, July 6, 2006

“We are winning! Obviously things are heating up because we are fighting them over there so that we don’t have to fight them over here. Things are going splendidly with Fearless Leader’s master plan.”
-Skippy

“Even in the context of a post-Sept. 11, 2001, world, the array of tough, seemingly intractable foreign problems is spreading. Renewed violence has expanded to major cities throughout Afghanistan, as Afghan rebels adopt tactics of Iraqi insurgents and as President Hamid Karzai's popularity has plummeted. Iran is balking at demands to come clean or compromise on its nuclear program, despite new U.S. and European incentives. Palestinians launched longer-range missiles into Israel, while Israel has authorized its army to invade part of northern Gaza.
Meanwhile, an Islamist militia in Somalia seized control of the capital, Mogadishu. Mexico's future is uncertain after a close and disputed presidential election. And yesterday, the price of oil hit a new high of $75.19 a barrel.”
-Washington Post, July 6, 2006

“Hey, those problems have nothing to do with us. Afghanistan would have been a problem even if we hadn’t invaded, removed their government, and installed a puppet regime without adequate security measures. Iran would have been developing their nuclear program even if we hadn’t placed them on our ‘Axis of Evil’ and shown through our treatment of North Korea that the only nations we won’t threaten are those with nukes. Israel and Palestine would still be fighting even if we hadn’t given up on brokering a working peace deal between them. Somalia would have fallen even if we weren’t so distracted. Mexico would have had voting issues even if immigration weren’t such a huge deal right now, and oil would still be expensive even if we didn’t stir the pot in the Middle East with high explosives.
The fact that this is all happening now is just coincidence. Just like global warming. The fact that the United States has not tried any form of international diplomacy except at the barrel of a gun for years now has nothing to do with any of this.”
-Skippy

“I'm worried about over committing our military around the world. I want to be judicious in its use. You mentioned Haiti. I wouldn't have sent troops to Haiti. I didn't think it was a mission worthwhile. It was a nation building mission. And it was not very successful. It cost us a couple billions of dollars and I'm not sure democracy is any better off in Haiti than it was before.”
-George ‘Dubya’ Bush, October 12, 2000

“The cost of the war in Iraq will reach $320 billion after the expected passage next month of an emergency spending bill currently before the Senate, and that total is likely to more than double before the war ends, the Congressional Research Service estimated this week. […]
Even if a gradual troop withdrawal begins this year, war costs in Iraq and Afghanistan are likely to rise by an additional $371 billion during the phaseout, the report said, citing a Congressional Budget Office study. When factoring in costs of the war in Afghanistan, the $811 billion total for both wars would have far exceeded the inflation-adjusted $549 billion cost of the Vietnam War.
[…]
‘The costs are exceeding even the worst-case scenarios,’ said Rep. John M. Spratt Jr. (S.C.), the ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee.
Such cost estimates may be producing sticker shock on Capitol Hill. This year, the wars will consume nearly as much money as the departments of Education, Justice and Homeland Security combined, a total that is more than a quarter of this year's projected budget deficit.”
-Washington Post, April 27, 2006