The Unnecessary Cost of the War in Iraq Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Unnecessary Cost of the War in Iraq - Essay Example The Bush administration, along with the urging of then Defense Secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld, woefully underestimated the number of soldiers it would require to secure Iraq after the initial invasion. Their number of approximately 125,000 troops was far too few to occupy the country and restore order. Paul Bremer, senior civilian administrator in Iraq during the first year of the occupation says he, "complained to President Bush and other officials that far too few troops were committed to the occupation in the first year after Saddam Hussein was ousted" (Shanker, A6). Bremer even wrote a formal letter to Secretary Rumsfeld requesting two additional divisions, but Bremer contends, "he had never heard back from Mr. Rumsfeld" (Shanker, A6). The fact that the Defense Department would not even respond to the senior administrator on the ground in Iraq shows the degree of arrogance, if not incompetence, that has led our country into a quagmire of ill-advised decisions. The decisions made at the White House have resulted in the unnecessary deaths and maiming of many of our finest young men and women. The death toll stands at almost 2,800 killed and another 10,000 wounded so severely that they will never be able to return to active duty (Shanker and Cloud, A14).