[setting aside, for the moment, the heartache, pain, & deaths of the wars] they were a disaster for the American people in two ways. First is the opportunity costs of the wars (what we could have had IF we had not fought 3 trillion dollar wars), compounded by the fact that the wars were put on the credit card. When the downturn/recession came, congress balked and the American people were gun-shy about borrowing more money to keep Americans working and to repairing/replacing/extending our infrastructure: bridges, sewers, rails, highways, hydroelectric projects, improving the electric grid, etc. But when the downturn came, the world’s money fled to quality, to the US, snapping up our long-term bonds and debt obligations. We could have had other countries rebuilding the US at cut-rate, long-term bond rates of 2-3%. Even worse, we started two wars, gave a "free" Medicare part D drug plan benefit, and cut taxes. This nation has never cut taxes and fought a war. We increased taxes and sold bonds to pay for wars. Second, we have absolutely nothing to show for the wars. We have no domestic infrastructure projects, we secured no new oil resources, we propped up no friendly regimes, we created no new democracies. We pissed away 3-6 trillion dollars (depending how far out you want to run the costs of rearming the military and 30 years intensive medical and psychological care for thousands of brain rattled troops and don’t forget the interest on the credit card). Bush II destabilized a part of the world that his Daddy, Secretary Warren, and General Powell knew to leave alone. We have kindled a conflagration that is engulfing the entire region. People accuse me of not letting the war go. Of hating one side or the other, but it’s not that as much as they just don’t understand the economic opportunity cost argument…or at least don’t think about it. That presidency, through hubris and bad choices, has literally crippled our children and our grandchildren’s future.