Our National Budget -- $14 Million an Hour

Yes -- $14 Million an hour is what our nation is spending on Iraq.

Yes -- We're entering the sixth year of this war.

Yes -- When President Bush kicked off the war on March 19, 2003, he promised that the war would be brief and inexpensive.

Well, so much for promises. We must honor our soldiers who serve in Iraq and also Afghanistan ... their sacrifices, their service, their missing time with their families. We also must honor and protect our military families who have lost loved ones or who daily help our soldiers who came home injured and now have a new kind of "how to get healthy" battle to fight

But it's going to take more than simply honoring these brave men and women, because things won't change unless we move our country in a new direction. President Bush's plan calls for ten years ... and a trillion dollars.

This morning Vice President Cheney was reminded that two-thirds of America think the war isn't worth fighting. Cheney's response was, "So?" And the most amazing thing -- Cheney also called the Iraq war a "major success."

For rural America's soldiers, Cheney's comment must be seen as particularly insulting since our soldiers have had a 60% higher death rate than those from urban America. And for those who come home injured, there are additional challenges caused by cut-backs in healthcare for veterans and miles and miles to go before one reaches a Veterans Hospital where once again, our men and women stand in line for assistance.