Cost of war/deployment in Iraq vs. Afghanistan

Posted by askthespeaker 07/07/2008 12:00 AM PDT

Not that I want the US to be in EITHER place, but if the emphasis in deployment is to shift towards Afghanistan with a corresponding drawdown in Iraq: what is the relative cost of deployment to Afghanistan vs. Iraq?

* I would think a LOT less, given that we don't have to defend oil fields.
* We (the US) wouldn't have to pay for (as much) reconstruction in Afghanistan.
* Wouldn't the redeployment potentially reduce the cost of military contractors?

So the short lists of benefits:

* Drawdown in Iraq, which hopefully will lead to a more stable environment there.
* Deployment where the terrorists *do* live and *are* getting stronger.
* Huge (?) savings in deployment costs, which hopefully mean more money available
for, say, reconstruction projects in the US (job creation, education,
bridges & roads to name a few).

What say you? Thanks ...