[lbo-talk] is this your liberation?

[loupaulsen at attbi.com]

> It appears to be their policy to utterly destroy the economy of Iraq on the 
> storefront level, and to reduce it to the Afghan level, without hospitals, 
> without typewriters, without money.  
> The oil wells will function.  The cities 
> are superfluous.  

Christ, I hate to be proved right about stuff like this:

U.S. Officials Play Down Iraq Reconstruction Needs

By Adam Entous 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration on Friday played down the need 
for a costly reconstruction effort in Iraq (news - web sites), citing limited 
damage to the country's oil fields and other infrastructure and rapid progress 
in the war. 

The White House has not put a dollar figure on rebuilding Iraq, but officials 
expressed confidence that the cost to U.S. taxpayers can be offset with 
increased oil production and financial contributions from U.S. allies. 

"There's just no reason that this can't be an affordable endeavor," said White 
House budget director Mitch Daniels. 

Daniels and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said the bombing campaign was so 
precise there was minimal damage to Iraq's civilian infrastructure. 

"I don't know that there is much reconstruction to do," Rumsfeld told 
reporters late Thursday