After more than eight years since the invasion of Iraq, the remaining American troops are scheduled to leave the country by Christmas (“Leaving on a Jet Plane,” August 20, 2011). As you report, this will have cost America about a trillion dollars and close to five-thousand American lives. I wonder. You do not even mention Iraqi lives. They were the old collateral damage, of course. You also do not mention the true cost of the botched-up war, which must have contributed significantly to the current economic doldrums in America and beyond. Invasions cost a good deal, but few Americans are willing to cover them out of their pockets nowadays. The boom in the early years of this millennium covered up much of what was at stake when it comes to military expenditure. Add the war in Afghanistan to the mess, and you get the full picture of George Bush’s ways with the budget, not to mention his hapless contribution to the fake boom. The developed world will be paying off the two bungled invasions for many years to come. With some help from your mighty newspaper, Americans and their friends the world over will never know what they are actually paying for.