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CBS’s Schieffer Rallys Against Excessive Government Spending… Military Spending



Nov 23, 2009 10 Comments ›› Erik Wong

schieffer

News Busters:

At the end of CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday, host Bob Schieffer fretted over massive government spending but avoided blaming current Democratic proposals: “I’m not even talking about the cost of health care….It is now costing $1 million a year to keep one U.S. soldier on the ground in Afghanistan, not to mention that for every soldier there, we have one civilian contractor.”

Schieffer also cited reconstruction costs in Iraq: “I picked up the New York Times to discover we have spent more money rebuilding Iraq’s schools, hospitals, water treatment and electrical plants – $54 billion – than we have spent on any construction project since the Marshall Plan.” He described his reaction to the war spending: “…last week I got surprised – no, I should say had a jaw-dropping shock – a better way to put it – every time I picked up the newspaper and read about the numbers that we’re throwing around lately.”

In concluding his commentary, Schieffer wondered: “…when President Obama came calling to China, we owed the Chinese more than a trillion dollars…is going a trillion dollars in hock to one country made us more secure?”

Here is a full transcript of the segment:

10:53AM

BOB SCHIEFFER: Finally today, during the Johnson administration, the Senate Republican Leader Everett Dirksen was railing one day against government spending and managed to say ‘a billion here and a billion there and pretty soon you’re talking about real money.’ That’s almost quaint these days and I’m not even talking about the cost of health care. I used to say I had been around so long that nothing surprised me. But last week I got surprised – no, I should say had a jaw-dropping shock – a better way to put it – every time I picked up the newspaper and read about the numbers that we’re throwing around lately.

Like yesterday, when I picked up the New York Times to discover we have spent more money rebuilding Iraq’s schools, hospitals, water treatment and electrical plants – $54 billion – than we have spent on any construction project since the Marshall Plan. Which you’ll recall was to rebuild Europe after World War II. Sobering but not surprising, many of those facilities may close when we leave because there are not enough trained Iraqis to operate them.

Another number in the news last week that I found astounding. It is now costing $1 million a year to keep one U.S. soldier on the ground in Afghanistan, not to mention that for every soldier there, we have one civilian contractor. Which helps explain another shocker that came out last week. That ten years ago we owed the government of Spain more than we owed China. Yet when President Obama came calling to China, we owed the Chinese more than a trillion dollars. Yep, old Ev Dirksen was right. A billion here, a billion there and it added up to real money and a big pile of bills. But is going a trillion dollars in hock to one country made us more secure?


  • charles

    the military doesn’t even get money any more they canceled the damned greatest aircraft ever made the f22

  • Tellicorick

    Only spent $54B in Afghanistan? That’s really shovel ready programs that actually got spent and something actually got built. This pales in comparison to the two whoppers this admin spent in the first 6 months while squatting in the White House.

    • vincenzo4

      Yeah, 54 Billion for blowback in blood for the evil that went unchecked under Clinton spread across the globe decapitating non-combatants and blowing up children. These people are just intollerable and I cannot accept that they are in governance and we have a media that actually thinks it is ethical.

  • Professor Bill

    This guy should be living in Oak View Estates and playing shuffleboard every morning at 10 AM after his morning prunes. He certainly shouldn’t be on national television having commentary on anything other than what bowel constitution works best for him and dried up hag of a wife.

  • vincenzo4

    Yeah, another subject matter expert of nothing, opinionated unwashed overeducated benefactor of every grave at Arlington; every paraplegic that decies to not allow his livid asshole kind demoralize them. With no legs, wounded fighting for his freedom to be a bastard, while he spews his enemy sumpathetic crap the legless brothers and sisters have wheelchair marathons and get fitted for prosthesics.

    I am dead damn tired of people like this poisoning and attaching guilt to patriotism and love of country. It’s okay to bring the nation to the brink of destruction over socialized medicine, but not okay to ensure our dual use technologies are not killed, clone, copied or compromised and remain available when war comes to defeat an enemy.

    No, can’t have that.

  • Bobby E

    Bob, Bob, Bob … let’s put your bullshit dogma into practice. Maybe if the budget for law enforcement where YOU live were eliminated, you might get a little taste of what you’re talking about. Not only that. The chaos you and others in the MSM seem to relish with your Communist leader would be further enhanced … you’d get to put more people out of work.

  • USNA1985

    Can someone tell me, who the hell is Bob Schieffer??

    • politicalfish

      He’s a microcephalic, convalescent, communist teleprompter reader, who is paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to spew his liberal diarrhea across the networks. Oh, he’s a cocksucker too (with removable dentures).

  • Sully

    If Barry really intends to announce a ‘new strategy’ for Afghanistan next week, the State Run Media will be teeing it up for Him more each day.