WACO, Texas -- In Jurassic Park, the favorite line of the theme park's mastermind is, "Spared no expense." But, of course, he did.
He staffed it with a skeletal crew. He gave barely a nod to the catastrophic potential of cloning dinosaurs. I don't know about you, but that movie reminds me of what's happened in Iraq. "Spared no expense." But, of course, we did.
For many months, U.S. personnel pleaded for body armor and for vehicles that would give them a chance against road-side bombs. The thing is, Donald Rumsfeld didn't have to give his trademark poverty-case plea, "You have to go to war with the Army you have."
This military engagement -- America's second costliest in real dollars -- has had scant cost controls. And why should it? It's been waged off-budget, and essentially on credit.
It's only when people return from battle that we become sticklers for decimal points.
Such is the case in Congress right now with debate over veterans benefits contained in a supplemental bill to fund what we're doing in Iraq and Afghanistan. Too expensive? Ahem.
President Bush has threatened to use his rarely flexed veto pen against this measure if it contains a bipartisan expansion of the GI Bill of Rights and other veterans benefits...........
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