How much were 3000 lives worth on 9/11? We are fighting with a twisted daemonic group of immoral sub-humans who want YOU dead! How much is your life worth?

That seems like a pretty good deal to me.  I'd rather pay 21K to kill terrorists than spend 2 bucks on free healthcare for an illegal alien.

I think there are 2 solutions that work. Either wipe out everyone in the middle east. Or change the way these people think. Killing terrorists is pointless, because every time you kill one. There will be 50 to take his place. Al Qaeda is already regrouping to the size they where before 9/11. So now what. How about this, lets cut all ties with the middle east and use alternative fuels. That might have been a little cheaper that 1.6 trillian dollars.

Sounds like a real good reason to spend the tax dollars. That I pay in federal income taxes every year. Its a small price to pay to keep Al Qaeda busy. We are in a war for our way of life. Freedom isn't free, some have even given their lives for us.

I love the conservative response to this discussion. "They want us dead", and "freedom isn't free". That is true, but that doesn't mean that 1.6 trillian dollars had to be spent. People need to try thinking outside the box and not like a conservative. There is plenty of evidence that shows how incompetent the Bush administration is. If we had a different president at the time of 9/11, we would have still gone into Afghanistan and maybe wiped out Al Qaeda. Instead, this moron of a president we have now used it as an excuse to go take care of his daddy's nemesis and create a new breeding ground for terrorism, and give us the largest deficit in history. Now what. Lets move away from simple minded politicians and elect some politicians who can use there brains and think ahead about the consequences of there decisions.

It's astonishing how acceptable and nearly commonplace this violent racism has become. the comments above make very clear that there is a HUGE lack of education in this country. First off, why is it okay to assume that American lives are more valuable than the lives of People elsewhere? It was proven long, long ago that the earth does not revolve around YOU. Why do people STILL buy the lie that there is ANY connection whatsoever between 911 and the current wars we have waged? It's absolutely depressing.
It is quite obvious at this point that NO amount of money will ever win this endless war. I have no solution, but ignorance is definitely not the answer. Really. Do your homework about this "daemonic (sic) group of immoral sub-humans" and you will begin to understand that no amount of force will get "these people" to accept democracy. Take a moment to think about what Americans had to go through (long before forming the US) to build a system of democracy that is still a struggle to sustain. You can't force democracy. It is absolutely absurd to think that we can "change the way these people think." Turn that around. How would you feel if a foreign government occupied your land and tried to "change the way you think"? It is NO DIFFERENT. Be aware that to the majority of people on this planet, Americans are "those people" and public opinion is quickly sinking. this kind of ignorance certainly won't help things.

Ok Dan C what would you do to fight the war on terrorism and not spend any money doing so? You think it was a good idea to go to Afghanistan and fight Al Qaeda there.  

Warren, I'm very well educated and think for myself after looking at the issues. Without all the "experts" and their agendas. Forcing a democracy is not the issue. People need to be free to live their lives to the fullest. We are all lucky to be able to breathe freedom and live our lives to the fullest. This country was attacked by a group of people that hates our freedoms, on 9-11-01. If the USA hides under a rock, hoping this goes away. Guess who loses, We all do. Like it or not, its a war and its going to be a long one.

dave, if democracy is not the issue, then please explain what the goal of the wars we are fighting. is it realistic to think we can just kill off anybody who thinks differently than you? we were not attacked by a group of people that hates our freedom. forget the qualitative notions of wrong and right, they are completely useless in trying to think rationally (for example, if we say that it was wrong for Al Queda to attack us. then for them it must have been right. And for us to attack the country of Iraq for no good reason at all was right for the Bush Administration and wrong for the majority of the world.)
no one is suggesting that the US should under a rock. but that would indeed be a better move than fighting an imaginary war. we sure would have a lot less enemies!
to get back to the point of the news at hand (which is much better covered by other sources, of course) it is very telling that the administration has tried so desperately to cover up its deceit and corrupt tactics. If our economy crumbles because of the wars we are fighting, that would do MUCH more damage than the terrorists could ever do. Or perhaps this is exactly what they had hoped would happen. Consider for a moment that the plan of attack didn't stop at 9/11. Do you think they didn't know that the Bush wasn't dying for an excuse to go to war with Saddam? So they came up with a surefire plan to sink our economy. The attack on 9/11 was the perfect bait. So in essence, the Bush administration fell for the trap. and now we're seeing the effects. our lifeblood (economy) is being cut off. don't be too surprised if within the next few decades we are no longer the superpower we once thought we were.
I keep hearing people say things like "I'm glad my government was lying to me." "They're just trying to protect us!". meanwhile our constitution is methodically being dissolved. The founders of this great country would be ashamed of its present state.
"freedom isn't free"?
I might ask:
Just how much does freedom cost? should it cost us our constitution? should it cost us our allies? our entire economy? will it cost us our freedom?

nothing the founding fathers established ' in the constitution resembles the war in the middle east. admittedly, the OOIL LOBBY didnt control the presidency and his vile actions. the founding fathers never proposed to kiss and hug sadaam and then execute him. the middle east was never a bargaining chip in the constitution; war on terrorism; been going on for 2500 years in the middle east. if they were serious about ending terrorism, it would require world war three; most likely the end of the world. hey, we lost in vietnam; what makes you think we have any chance with terrorism; the network developed could destroy us. my guess is without [detente] , china is lying back waiting to pounce; are they democratic[ noooo] why hasnt bush attacked them; bush will be ultimately responsible for the neutralizing of america as a power and real democracy

Tell me what the cost of running the defense department would have been without the war.  How much of the $1.6 trillion would we have saved operating a peace time military?  Numbers lie and liars use numbers to help make their points.

A couple of people have made some good points here.  Heading into Afghanistan after Al Qaida was a valid military action - they were responsible for 9/11, and the Taliban government refused to hand them over or assist us.  That left us with little other choice.

Tying the "War on Terror" to Iraq and Saddam Hussein was a colossal failure in interpreting intelligence and in judgment in the President's advisors (since I don't think he's smart enough to do it himself).  We bought into the "weapons of mass destruction" claims - which truns out to be manufactured appearances by none other than Saddam himself.  We then bought into the "evil dictator" excuse - which was actually true, but beside the point, since I don't see us waging wars to oust the other dozen or so evil dictators in the new lately, e.g. Zimbabwe, Sudan, N. Korea, to name a couple.  Now we're stuck in a place that has become a breeding ground for the very people we sought to eliminate.  Hussein may have been a bad guy, but at least he didn't breed terrorists by the dozens.

I remember in 2003 when the Bush camp assured us that the Iraq operations shouldn't cost more than about $150 billion, and how a senior military officer was chastised for even suggesting that it would be at least $200 billion.  Now, four years later, Bsuh has requested $200 billion just for the next year, and the war has cost almost 10 times as much as thought, just in dollar terms, and well over 3000 American soldiers their lives.  That doesn't take into account the walking wounded, the amputees, those who survived injuries that would have killed them even 15 years ago.

Our reputation in the world, which was solidly behind us in 2001 and in Afghanistan, has widely viewed us as aggresive hypocrties who profess dedication to human rights but set them aside when it suits our paranoia.  We seek to protect the rights declared in our most fundamental document, the Constitution, by chopping away at those same rights.  History generally shows that once lost, the rights of citizens are ararely restored without significant upheaval - witness our own colonial revoltuion in the 1700's.

Most sadly, we are fighting a "war" that cannot be won - there will never be an end to "Terrorism", any more than we could end poverty with Lyndon Johnson's "war", because we seem incapable of understanding those actions and conditions, that they are either concepts, tools or basic human conditions.  Putting a price tag on the war for each person is meaningless - human life does not come with a price tag.  It makes for good press, and for those who fake patriotism, but the emperor still has no clothes.

Now that I've made the above comment, here's a note to all you terrorists out there:

I've heard that you want "death to America", but then say you don't hate the Anerican "people", just the government.  Well, assuming you are literate and are willing to read about us, recognize that, here in America, the people and the Government are inextricably intertwined.

I've heard that some Islamic tradition says either convert the infidel or kill him.  That makes me really impressed with your religion, that has so little tolerance for the rest of us that you'd rather eliminate us than live with us.  Perhaps you might go back and take another look through the Q'uran and see if that's what Allah really wants, or whether the radicals in your religion just decided that's how "it" should be.  I know some Christians who think that God is punishing soldiers because other people are gay.  Your two groups should really meet for discussions some time.

The radicals of your Arabic and Islamic heritage seem to think that random attacks will eventually succeed and Isalm will rule the world.  Think again.  There are not enough of them to succeed ... and if they do, who will they go after next?  Remember that even in the Western world, the strong will survive, and strong people take strong actions.  At some point, those survivors will set aside their principles and respond with a force that will frighten even you.

Compare the typical, devoted, peaceful followers of Islam with the Taliban - extremists at best - living in a black and white world, where only men have any rights, and where the smallest transgression of Sharia means death.  That form of dictatorship has never succeeded for long, so perhaps you might want to work to reduce their numbers and recognize that harmony and discourse are far better than bombs and insults.