Selling The War for $1.7 Billion

http://www.fas.org/sgp/temp/natsios042303.html

TRANSCRIPT: Nightline: Project Iraq
April 23, 2003 Wednesday
Source: ABC News

(snip)

ANDREW NATSIOS
No, no. This doesn't even compare remotely with the size of the Marshall Plan.

TED KOPPEL
(Off Camera) The Marshall Plan was $97 billion.

ANDREW NATSIOS
This is 1.7 billion.

TED KOPPEL
(Off Camera) All right, this is the first. I mean, when you talk about 1.7, you're not suggesting that the rebuilding of Iraq is gonna be done for $1.7 billion?

ANDREW NATSIOS
Well, in terms of the American taxpayers contribution, I do, this is it for the US. The rest of the rebuilding of Iraq will be done by other countries who have already made pledges, Britain, Germany, Norway, Japan, Canada, and Iraqi oil revenues, eventually in several years, when it's up and running and there's a new government that's been democratically elected, will finish the job with their own revenues. They're going to get in $20 billion a year in oil revenues. But the American part of this will be 1.7 billion. We have no plans for any further-on funding for this.

TED KOPPEL
(Off Camera) Let me go back to a point you were making a moment ago, namely, you can only really begin on this process in January. The Army began planning for this war, in some detail, last June, ten months ago. Why could you not on a contingency basis have said, we don't know if we're going war, there's a possibility we'll be going war, everyone's been thinking we'll be going to war for many months now, put out the bids and get some competitive bidding going on a global basis or even get some major competitive bidding here in the United States. If it happens, it happens and we're ready. If it doesn't, we don't have to go ahead with these projects.

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google "iraq" and "1.7 billion" and see what happens...

I heard that clip on the Best of Franken on saturday. I was astounded. I never heard anyone claim 1.7 billion. I though 100 billion was the low ball estimate.

Who is this guy?

Is he part of the administration (officially I mean, is he an under secretary of something, etc?) or is he from a "think tank" (more like dumb tank).

Anyone know?

"four American soldiers are now being investigated for trying to steal some of the hundreds of millions of dollars that had previously been discovered in a number of hiding places in Iraq's capital."

like what Josh Bolton does. I think they had to boot him because of dumbass remarks like this.

I remember that comment quite clearly. He was talking for the administration, I think. I wonder if he had been honest and said, "probably it'll be $300BB+", would Congress have still signed on?

This administration purposefully underestimated the true cost. That was a talking point, I 'm sure he didn't dream up that number on Nightline all by himself.