Tallying the Cost of All Those Wars

Our buddies in the Repub Party, who are always intensely interested in the cost of government, will want to get a load of what Osama Bin Laden has cost America in dollars alone.

This story at Huffington Post gives an impressive breakdown that includes:

• A total of $1.415 trillion from Sept. 11, 2003 through FY 2012 (if Congress approves the current request).
• Already approved has been $1.283 trillion for “military operations, base security, reconstruction, foreign aid, embassy costs, and veterans’ health care for the three operations initiated since the 9/11 attacks.” 
• That breaks out to $806 billion for Iraq, $444 billion for Afghanistan, $29 billion for enhanced security and $6 billion on “unallocated” items. 

 And it ain't over, with or without Bin Laden. The Congressional Budget office says that expenditures "could reach $1.8 trillion by FY2021.”

(Graphic: gawker.com)