I plan to do some fact checking on what both Kerry and Bush said in the debate based on the
official transcript.
KERRY: And so, today, we are 90 percent of the casualties and 90 percent of the cost: $200 billion -- $200 billion that could have been used for health care, for schools, for construction, for prescription drugs for seniors, and it's in Iraq. [1]
Fact
Between March 2003 and September 2004, the casualties are 1,057 (US), 68 (UK), and 70 (Other) [2] for a total of 1,195 of coalition, military casualties, or 88.45%. Another source states during the same timeframe, the casualties are 1,048 (US) [3] and 105 (UK and others) [4] for a total of 1,153 of coalition, military casualties, or 90.89%. Troop deployments as of September 2004 are 138,000 (US), 8,300 (UK), 14,7000 (Other) for a total of 161,000 or 85.71% US forces [4].
Three major funding events have happened for the fiscal years 2003 & 2004 as follows: $78.5 billion: FY2003 Supplemental: Operation Iraqi Freedom (H.R. 1559, passed 4/16/2003, Public Law 108-11); $87.5 billion: Iraq Supplemental Appropriations, FY 2004 bill (S.1689, passed 10/17/2003, Public Law 108-106); and a $25 billion shortfall reported by the GAO for FY 2004 in July 2004, and so this is an expected pending request [5]. These total $191 billion which cover both Department of Defense costs as well as Iraq reconstruction and associated foreign policy costs.
The coalition forces have pledged a total of $2.16 billion toward the Iraq reconstruction effort for 2004, $4.96 - $8.66 for 2005 - 2007, and $6.47 for unspecified years for an overall total of $17.29 billion [4]. That would make the US commitment 91.7%, assuming that (a) the coalition money pledged is delivered, and (b) the $25 billion for FY2005 goes through.
Conclusion
True
References
- The First Bush-Kerry Presidential Debate: Transcript. 2004, September 30, Commission on Presidential Debates. from http://www.debates.org/pages/trans2004a.html
- Iraq Coalition Casualty Count. 2004, September 30. from http://icasualties.org/oif/
- Operations Enduring Freedom & Iraqi Freedom Casualty Summary By State. 2004, September 25, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, Department of Defense. from http://web1.whs.osd.mil/mmid/casualty/STATE_OEF_OIF.pdf
- O'Hanlon, M.E. and A.L.d. Albuquerque, Iraq Index: Tracking Reconstruction and Security in Post-Saddam Iraq. 2004, September 29, Saban Center for Middle East Policy, The Brookings Institution: Washington D.C. from http://www.brookings.edu/iraqindex
- MILITARY OPERATIONS: Fiscal Year 2004 Costs for the Global War on Terrorism Will Exceed Supplemental, Requiring DOD to Shift Funds from Other Uses. 2004, July 23, Government Accountability Office. from http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?gao-04-915