I can't, of course, do justice to this article, written by George S McGovern and William R Polk- it must be read in its entirety but I was struck by the cost references. Here are a few bits, then go run out and buy the magazine.

Withdrawal will not be without financial costs, which are unavoidable and will have to be paid sooner or later. But the decision to withdraw at least does not call for additional expenditures. On the contrary, it will effect massive savings. Current US expenditures run at approximately $246 million each day, or more than $10 million an hour, with costs rising steadily each year. Although its figures do not include all expenditures, the Congressional Research Service listed direct costs at $77.3 billion in 2004, $87.3 billion in 2005 and $100.4 billion in fiscal year 2006. Even if troop withdrawals begin this year, total costs (including those in Afghanistan) are thought likely to rise by $371 billion during the withdrawal period. Economist Joseph Stiglitz.. estimated that staying in Iraq another four years will cost us at least $1 trillion.

Some examples of other costs of doing things for Iraq versus our occupation

We suggest that the American withdrawal package should include provision of $1 billion to help the Iraqi government create, train, and equip such a force, which is roughly the cost of four days of the American occupation.

The United States could assist in the creation and training of ... a reconstruction force [like the Army Corps of Engineers] which would undertake the rebuilding of infrastructure damaged by the war, with an allocation of, say, $500 million, or roughly the cost of two days of the current occupation.

Withdrawal from [permanent military bases and the Green Zone] and an end to further construction should save American taxpayers billions of dollars over the coming two years. This is quite apart from the cost of the troops they would house.

Mercenaries, euphemistically known as *Personal Security Detail* are now provided by an industry of more than thirty *security* firms, comprising at least 25,000 armed men. These constitute a force larger than the British groop contigent in the *Coalition of the Willing* and operate outside the direct control-and with little interferecne from the military justice systems- of the British and American armies... They should be withdrawn rapidly and completely, as the Iraqis regard them as the very symbol of the occupation. Since the US pays for them either directly or indirectly, all we need to do is stop payment.