The War on Terror: Bill O'Reilly Says Invading Iraq Was a 'Mistake'
The topic of tonight’s Talking Points Memo was the anniversary of September 11th. Bill O’Reilly pointed out that statistics do not back up the argument that the war on terror has largely contributed to the debt. According to the Congressional Research Service, the war on terror has cost America $1.4 trillion dollars. That includes the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, money for veterans, and other military expenditures. It does not include the cost of security within the United States. The money spent accounts for approximately 10 percent of the debt accrued since President Obama took office.
The more important question O’Reilly asks is, “Has the war on terror been worth the price in blood and treasure?” In the combined wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, 6,596 Americans have been killed and 49,746 have been wounded.
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America did not need Iraq to win the war on terror, said O’Reilly. “I believe most historians will look back on the Iraq war as being a mistake.
We could’ve brought Saddam Hussein to his knees by blockading his country; we didn’t have to invade it.”
The situation in Afghanistan was different, he continued, “we had to remove the Taliban and we did.” O’Reilly said the problem now is that the society in Afghanistan is largely corrupt and the US has not been successful in neutralizing it.
To conclude, O’Reilly says that while we have won the war against terrorism, the fight continues.
