Brad Sherman is a Congressman from California. That fact alone tells you that he’s a liberal kook.
Nevertheless, he emerged from hibernation like Punxsutawney Phil, but instead of predicting that winter was about to end, predicted that the end of the unpleasantries in Libya weren’t and suggested that the administration isn’t being, shall we say, truthful about the cost of its current kinetic military action.
The Washington Times has the desultory details:
A Democratic lawmaker said Thursday that the White House is “dramatically underestimating” the cost of the nation’s military involvement in Libya by relying on misleading accounting.
“That effort is costing us billions a week,” Rep. Brad Sherman, California Democrat and a certified public accountant, said in his opening remarks at a House Foreign Relations Committee hearing on reforming the United Nations with Susan E. Rice, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Last week, Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates testified that the nation’s initial involvement in establishing a no-fly zone over the skies of Libya carried a $550 million price tag and that the cost going forward would be about $40 million a month. He also assured lawmakers he had enough money in his budget to absorb the costs without asking Congress for new funding — though he wasn’t ready to say where exactly the money would come from.
But Mr. Sherman on Thursday said the estimates are based on what’s known as “marginal-cost accounting,” which doesn’t include costs for things such as overhead from the development of the weapons systems and equipment being used, or the salaries of the people involved in the effort.
“We need to use full-cost accounting,” Mr. Sherman said.
Full-cost accounting? We’ll get to full-cost accounting on Libya after we get it on TARP and the $timulus and Fannie and Freddie and a dozen other fiscal fiascos.
Feel free to go back into hibernation, Congressman Sherman, but don’t hold your breath.
Source: Washington Times
This post was last modified on April 9, 2011
View Comments (18)
Hi. I am en Amurican and i luv Amurica! It be the GRAITEST COUNTRY EVAR. BLAR BLAR GUNS REPUBLICANS CHRISTIANITY. Seriously, do you people even try and do research on any topics? or is FOX news all you people listen too? I cannot WAIT to get out of this titanic of a country.
by all means leave then, nobody is forcing you to stay. go to wherever, but don't waste valuable space that could be taken by a living breathing thinking American.
Or a LEGAL immigrant!
Nice. My comment was removed because ignorant Conservatives, with their heads up their butts, didn't like it. Guess they only want to hear the echos of their own ignorance.
Like "hisham", who thinks he knows a whole lot more about ongoing ops that Gates, the Sec of Defence. Geez.
Or "perlcat", who thinks that everything Conservative is oh .. so.. special.
Or "Navyvet", who is so unintelligent, he (or she) thinks that anyone who challenges the God-ordained insanity of the New Conservatives is a "communist" or a "lib".
Or "RockingHorseGuy", well, the less said about that moron the better.
Or, "Elrond Hubbard", "ocmadam" & "Sailingbum", who seem to believe that everything Obama does is wrong & everything he says is a lie.
What a collection of ignorant, self-adulating, buffoons .. exhibiting stupid, knee-jerk, reactions. With people like them voting for the anti-American GOP & Tea Party, no wonder America is sliding quickly into Fascism .. where corporatism & dominionism destroy everything the Founders wanted America to be.
My comment was removed because a bunch of losers didn't like it. Guess it's the New America.
I am *so* sorry that your post was buried because you have no friends.
It is *so* unfair.
Actually, what I was sorriest about was the incoherence of your tirade. I am still trying to figure out what your critique of me was supposed to actually *mean*. I suppose if I was seriously drunk, what you wrote would make sense.
You see, I do think that conservatives are special. They put up with a lot of hatred in order to think for themselves. It is sad that you cannot recognize that for what it is.
I think that libs are "special", too, in the sense that all riders of le bus diminutif are special.
You forgot me, Dude! What about theBeachBumConvservative ? :)
I would love to hear what a Commie Pinko Terrorist like yourself thinks of the unabashed bastion of 'USA USA USA' chanting Patriotism that is the BBC. I'll put whatever you write under my avatar for a week, but only if it gives me a chuckle, too.
it would be so Post-Ironic .
Sorry Mr. Wacko, but no comments under your name have been removed. And if it were under another name and I didn't see it, it's only because you must have cursed up a storm. But considering I've only removed about two or three offensive comments this month, at the most, I would have remembered a nut like you. In summary, you're either a liar or you don't know how to use a computer. We don't remove comments with dissenting opinions -- look around.
but you are starting to bury them based on downvotes.. I'm screwed :)
Another satisfied customer.
AntiWacko April 9, 2011 at 12:32 pm
Thankfully, the Obama administration is relatively open about what it does & the costs thereof. It’s a breath of fresh air, after Bush hid the costs of everything he did.
Hey Antigravity, you're a wacko if you believe the sh*t you just posted! This is already way beyond training operations and military manuevers. This crap is already way more expensive than just tooling down to 29 Stumps (Palms, for you uninitiated), or Fort Irwin, (both in California). It's way beyond powering up our own aircraft, ships, tracked vehicles, etc. We're going to get stuck with the lion's share of the cost for this fiasco, with no end in sight, and you're sitting there grinning like the Cheshire cat and flapping you're fool gums about this administration's 'openess!' You have to be smoking dope! Post when you're not high...moron! Oh, and BTW, the Bush administration and the military were loathe to tell commie pinko traitors like you anything because they know that that information would just end up in the hands of our enemies!
Sherman is wrong & Gates' figures are probably correct. If the aircraft & ships were not engaged in operations near/over Libya, they'll be engaged in similar training operations elsewhere. They will not be sitting idly on runways or in port.
Thankfully, the Obama administration is relatively open about what it does & the costs thereof. It's a breath of fresh air, after Bush hid the costs of everything he did.
Openness. Hmmm. Suppose they'll have a closed ceremony to celebrate that?
Don't worry, I'm not laughing *with* you. I'm laughing *at* you.
Apparently Rep Sherman is somewhat different than most democommunists. He must have had trouble breathing with his head up his ass. So, he pulled it out for a few seconds for air and lo and behold, look what he saw. I'll bet his democommunist comrades hope their electorate are breathing okay.
But not to worry, NavyVet. He most likely shoved it back up where it came from once he took a breath.
Oh absolutely. He's a lib.
What? The Obama administration is lying again? Who knew?
You know the lies are really becoming egregious when a liberal Democrat
starts challenging the Administration's numbers.
Still, I doubt if anything will come of it, too many people are comfortable with the lies.
misleading accounting...you don't say?! I finally figured out that the only change we can believe in is the chump change we have left after obamanomics takes over our lives.
I do like the phrase "fiscal fiascoes..
Pretty much sums up the US Gummint at this moment in history..