While George Bush pants for the sword, he has failed to inform us how much his bout with Iraq will eventually cost.

It is true that many countries have pledged money to rent our army, but very little has actually been collected.

The Kuwaiti monarchy, for example, has offered to pay the United States, but only on the condition that they get their country back: keep in mind, we have never received anything for reflagging Kuwaiti oil tankers a few years ago.

I believe the cost to escort those tankers came out to be over $100 per barrel of escorted oil.

Each time I hear Bush’s savior-rattling followed by announcements for more troops, I think about how much those resources could do for a synthetic-fuel program, public transportation, solar power or anything else that lessens our dependency on oil.

Instead, we must prop up kings and take back Kuwait for Golf-Shevron and British Petroleum.

Gary Jones

Graduate Student