Okay, we know the answer to the first question: The U.S. taxpayer is paying for the war. $200 Billion looks like a reasonable lower figure at this point. While this makes some sense, since we have the largest economy in the world, it’s also true that with a better foreign policy a lot of this cost would be shared — as it was when the other Bush was president.

Beyond that, however is the question of how we’re spending our money in Iraq. Turns out that the companies that are supposed to be rebuilding the country (and, by the way, how about letting Iraqis do that?) are spending the lion’s share of it on security — mercenaries, you might say.

So, because Bush didn’t want to send in enough troops, we’re paying for private security firms to protect people who shouldn’t a) be there and b) need protecting.

This has sort of an Arbusto (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbusto_Energy) ring to it, but somehow I don’t see the Saudis bailing Bush out on this one. We taxpayers are drawing the short straw this time.